This was the first ever diary I wrote......
August 6th 2002
Stress last night as I realised that my ipac and mobile were not communicating. Bugsi has done it again In the mornng I realised that my charger for it didn't work as I had been sold the wrong one.Another crisis but I do know that others will have a charger. I did want to be self reliant so this is unsettling.Still Bugsi drove me to Heathrow and the journey has begun.Still stressed until Adrian sorts it out for me while we wait to board.He is a computer guy and has an ipac of his own.Cannot believe that I am going to be away for three months. I have only had short weeks off these last few years so the thought of 3 months is rather incomprehensible.No one ecstatic with excitement yet but it will come.Dreading the heat in NY.
It is hot...about 80 F.Rather oppressive and humid. Hotel fine. Claire a pain over not liking vario-us foods and fussing around. We went and ate in Greenwich Village.
It is not nice in NY in August.You can't see the 'weather'.The air condition units roar away in the buildings.Outside on the pavements intense hot air comes out of ducts either from the air conditioning units or the subway. You can hear the trains just under the pavement.Cars get double stacked in carparks.Otherwise NY seems much the same as 1974!
August 6th
We set off for Staten Island to get our bikes at 7.30am after a fairly mean breakfast .Its hot but sunny.I wear shorts and motorcycle boots! Get our bikes from the agents on Staten island. All is well and after an hour of packing/dressing we are ready to go. Out on the motorway after going to Manhattan over Brooklyn Bridge and out over George Washington Bge.I love the exits.. Off the duel carriage there are marked exits for lodging,gas, food,camping and even an 'attractions exit'. These exits do lead to places too.! Great rolling countryside we reach a height of 570m and cover 301 miles.Not heavy traffic once clear of NY and the bike roars along, state limit ignored along with most of the drivers on the road. Petrol is under a dollar a gallon.
August 7th
Rode with the girls after discussion last night. It went ok for awhile but it was not of my style and I got fed up with messing around at Niagara falls. I went on the' maid of the mist'.to see the falls. Then I wanted to leave the area because it was hot and full of tourists . As I hate sight seeing when its hot... The falls were majestic. Riding was fairly dull. All interstate highway. Staight and mostly flat. The last bit was atraight into the sun. Finally made it at about 8 pm. Told Claire and Jane that I would not be riding with them any more. No problem with Jane who I now feel sorry for.
August 8th Thursday
Rode with the men. It was so easy compared with Claire etc The road at the end of the day became good fun as we rode bends alongside the sea. Lovely views of the sea. Woods were both hard and soft. Bilberry country.
August 9th Friday
Moose on the loose and dead on the road.We were warned as we set off at 6am to watch out for moose in the dawn. Within half an hour we saw an injured moose which had just been hit . We had a very long day, doing 760 miles ,ending on the west side of Winnipeg. Good weather . We were plagued by state highway police, especially as 4 of the others had been doing bad overtaking which the police wanted to catch them for. 3 were done for speeding. Our gang of 5 did well; JASON, ME,CLIVE,MARCO,and TIM . Some roads were great and some very boring especially the interstate highways and the trans canada highway .
August 10th Saturday
Began in rain but it soon stopped. 667 miles on the trans canadian highway. Straight roads! Scenery like a huge golf course when it wasn't being farmed. Travelled across canadian praire. Bombed by grasshoppers in the afternoon..quite big with yellow and black wings. Quite tough to keep going but the team did well. Prairies rather like fens but on a massive scale.
August 11th Saturday
Must be the dullest bit. Left at 6.30am in dull weather. Realised I waa going to be cold when I left the carpark.. We were 900m high.we rode for 2 hours to Calgory across a featureless landcape like exmoor,on a wide straight road. Things improved after that. Rockies and the icefield route which I knew from skiing.Achieved 810 miles. One road section was so empty and had such a good surface that we all went that bit quicker.!Tim has drifted off and we are now 4..me,Jason,Marco and Clive. I am so glad I am not with the girls.They arrived late to the hotel. Dawsons creek looks interesting,the hotel is an old building which makes a change. Riding into the sun at the end of the day it looked like farming barley was efficient round here. Not harvested yet.
August 12th
Tim's birthday.Woke early out of habit but we have a later start..8am. Left close to 9am 456 miles to do. Road became more interesting the further north we went. I saw a chipmunk run across the road with its tail held upright. Saw a cariboo and some mountain goats. Others saw a bear and an eagle eating a dead carcass. There are endless trees but it isn't that dull and there are some amazing views. Farmland ran out around here. The 2 girls came in very late. They seem to be doing their own thing and not taking part together.
August 13th Tuesday
My birthday. Wake up to rain. But it stopped quite quickly. Remained grey however. Muncho lake was rather beautiful. The entire place was gravel or slabs of rock. There were seaplanes on the lake..in use. Apparently Canada and the Maldives use seaplanes quite a lot. The rivers are big and fast flowing..the Laird and the Yukon. We camped by the Yukon at Whitehorse. Countryside remains treeclad and mountains mostly on the right. Its all gravel or sandy soil. I saw a Black Bear running up the hillside otherwise not a lot to see. Marco had fun on the side of the road when we had a gravel section and got stuck. It was amusing.
August 14th Wednesday
Rained a lot in the night but tent was good. Nasty grey sand was very clingy in tge morning,which mercfully was dry. No animals,same type of countryside. We did 350 odd miles which is now easy! Dawson city is wonderful with board walks,qooden buildings etc. It is decaying slightly. The last brothel only closed in 1961 aa gold prospecting ceased. We are staying in a lovely old buildiing. Jane and Claire are hanging back to get Nick's attention and are not joining in at all since they are out of sync.by starting late and finishing late. Jane's bike had a major breakdown yesterday (camshaft probably) and will have to be mended in Anchorage. Jane riding pillion behind Claire. She is mad. Graham Sanders wondering whether to continue with them. Nick's bike also having problems with tyres.
August 15th Thursday
Cold but sunny.3 C. Good breakfast at Klondyke Kates before the little on /off ferry across the Yukon. Then we took the Top of the World highway. It was cold but great...it was on a ridge. The border was about 1250m high. Dirt road much of the time. Saw two Coyote on the road .One stood and stared at me while I sat on the bike. Then we had bends down to Chicken,Alaska. Later i discovered my sub frame on the bike had cracked through. Rode carefully the next 250 miles to Anchorage. I am not worried since there is a bike shop here and we have one day off. We arrived and caught the guy at the shop. I am relieved. He had obviously seen more.
August 16th Friday
Day off at the shop. After much taking apart I got the bike welded by Unique machines and an extra strengthning plate ,put back together ,oil change and front tyre (18777) miles. Worked all day. Not much of a day off. Camped in evening in the most lovely site. Good weather.
August 17th Saturday
Did 737 miles. I had camped with Jason and Marco. Set off at 6.30am. Good weather for a bit. Then a light/on/off rain began. Long way to go and we had to contend with dirt road quite often. Sometimes heavy gravel. Did not see any animals though Jason has seen a bald headed eagle. The country is made of gravel and sand which makes life eay for fixing the roads..you just drag it across. Fir trees remind me of Cyprus trees and hence it gives a feel of the med. Many burnt trees from past fires...lots. My bike fine after all the hard work. I look forward to a real break.
August 18th Sunday
Another huge mileage day..nearly 700 miles whilst Nick had said 600. This added on another 2hrs. Jason saw several bears whilst i saw none ! Tomorrow hoping to see some bears catching fish in the river near Hyder, alaska, where we are staying the night. Wonderful road from Watsons Lake to Stewert/Hyder. Sadly we rode slowish because Clive had has a puncture today. We all helped to mend it with the bmw kit. The two girls, Claire and Jane set off from Anchorage at 3pm on the saturday because of Jane's bike being repaired. But they never rode far enough that night and so they never got here last night. They should catch up tonight but in the meantime missed out on this. This being seeing spawning salmon in the riverwith hopefully grizzly bears...
August 19th Monday
Got up at 5.30am to go up the road to see the spawning salmon. Huge fish and 2 bears. Masses of fish. Then breakfast and off at 9.30 to do 450 miles to Prince George. Too much traffic and scenery that was changing to farming. We haven't seen any farming since Dawson Creek I guess. No news of girls or Leigh or Ian.
August 20th Tuesday
Started 9am Did 503 miles to Vancouver . Nicish weather . Land ranch style, lots of horses and a bit of barley growing. Saw 2 moose as we left Prince George. Took road to Whistler. Some unmade but enjoyed it; good bendy road . Met Lebby and Mike in the evening. Great. Girls came in last yet again. They have been rowing as we saw at breakfast.Jane remains piggy in the middle. Took guys into Whistler.
August 21st Wednesday
Left Vancouver in grey weather and not particularly warm. Interstate highway is dull and full of traffic;built up too. Went south of Seattle for a tyre change. Took ages and finally left again 1.30pm to do another 300 miles. South into Oregan and took a road that went over mt hood. Great trees and then on to a plain with butte and canyon. Very dry. Still quite cold, not above 20 c. Camped in Bend. Girls still not in sync. Jane now having affair with Graham. Claire ! Now 10pm and they still haven't arrived .
August 22nd Thursday
Amazing Claire woke me with a cup of tea. She is trying. Began at 8am after a cold night,though my sleeping bag is warm especially with the silk liner. Took some small roads including some dirt. Fantastic scenery . Salt lakes which have water in them between about Feb and June just like a giant puddle. Huge wide flat valley and vast volcano crater. Ranching country. Very dry and they had had a fire 2 weeks ago. Saw chipmunks run across the road with their tails held high. Some very isolated homesteads. Can go for miles without any people or houses. Now in Nevada and it is even more barren. Oregon did have lovely trees and volcanoes. Staying in Gerlach...small place.
August 23rd Friday
Last evening we were taken out on the salt lake and stood round a bonfire made by the hard butt club. It was great fun riding the bike on the salt lake,in the dark. This morning we went back for another quike ride. This is the very place thet do the world speed record attempts. Off we went to ride through even more desert. It is covered in bushes...it does undulate though the road is dull if main road. So we took smaller where possible. Petrol was scarce. Wild horses and eagkes otherwise the land is barron. Found big cacti higher up, between 1400m and higher. So entered death valley. Great view down everything is brown ,even more brown than elsewhere. I can't imagine much living here though I know wildlife has adapted. The heat hits you. It is not a heatwave luckily and is about 110f. Have a swim in outdoor pool. Smart place. Girls missing out again. This was probably the lowest point of the trip in terms of elevation ie 190 feet below sealevel
August 24th Saturday
Got to Las Vegas by about 11. Had a really relaxing time,swimming and shopping and in the evening went to Ceaser Palace . Eat,gambolled slightly and danced a bit. Was impressed. Far less tacky than I thought it would be. Impressed by buildings and the fountain show in front of Bellagio. It was about 100+ degrees.
August 25th Sunday
Big mileage again plus sight seeing Colorado, and the Hoover Dam. Saw the colorado by the bridge. Not as big as I had thought. Navajo indians dotted round the desert. Fed up with desert. Very hot indeed 42c (105f) but when it got dark it got very cold..Had to ride in the dark which was a shame. Skunks apparently ran around the campsite at night . I did not put my tent up so they must have run past my face.
August 25th Monday
Good breakfast and set off at about 8.30 with at least 650 miles to do. Managed to do 8 miles of dirt road inspite of not wanting to be on a slow road. Very hot ..its a heat wave here and has been like it for 4 days. We set off from Colorado,went through New Mexico, and got to Alpine in Texas. Last two days had to ride in the dark unfortunately. Vast grass plains. Sand on road occasionally. Rabbits in the dark and danger of deer. Now fed up with desert. Just heard that it has been the hottest day in Albuquerque ever for this particular day of August .. We came within a few miles of Albuquerque . Volcano plugs,lava flows;mesas and buttes. Miles and miles of fencing for all these deserts\seem to be owned. Electricity poles running for miles as well.
August 27th Tuesday
After 751 miles yesterday,we only have had to do 100 miles today. Camping in Big bend national park. Very hot very scenic. 40+ degrees. Stony campsite. Birds of prey circling over head. Bears,cougar,coyote,snakes,road runners etc. Got to lock up anything that smells. Sitting in the shade with tremendous view with no one bar ourselves around.
August 28th Wednesday
Warm night but did not sleep well because of stones! Up early. Claire and Jane both fell off their bikes on a bend..Claire was not looking. Her own fault. She ended up breaking her shoulder (cracked clavicle possibly) Jane alright. They were both asking for it. Good breakfast with eccentric lady (tracy). In to Mexico . Hot again. Lovely road by rio grande. Saw a road runner and some vultures with red heads. Desert in Mexico to start with. Now watching for dogs and bad drivers. Vehicles shabby. By afternoon in green land for first time in days. Beautiful valley. Lots of people walking ,dirt roads in town centres. Hotel great. We are attracting interest when we ride or stop. No longer so hot and we are high up, 2350 metres. Rob,Leigh,Tim,Gary and Claire not doing/making Mexico.
August 29th Thursday
Amazing scenery as we rode an easy day. Green valleys sometimes reminiscent of Norway . People walking by the road in colourful clothing,or sitting in the shade. Donkeys,horses cows. Friendly people and nice food...cheap. Petrol is not cheap and to own a vehicle is obviously something . They are all in a terrible state. Wonderful canyons deeper than the grand canyon (possibly 6000ft deep). Farming in valley floor..grass and maize. Staying in Parrell.
August 30th Friday
Great breakfast 15 miles down the road. Weather warm but not to hot. Green countryside. I lost my top box off the back of my seat and it took awhile to find it in the long grass on the verge of the road. Came off because of the rather bumpy road. Sleeping policemen a major hazard, though a selling opportunity for the locals. As you slow down they try and sell you foood etc. Lovely hotel in Durango..very grand! Clive pissed off.
August 31st Saturday
Began the day with acute food poisoning along with others. Felt dreadful..stomach cramps. Seemed to abate about 9.30am. Rest of group waited for me. Jason was affected aa well,and Marco later but I was the worst. Set off to do acute bends for 157 miles in srunning scenery. I was feeling very weak but with rests made it. We ended the day on dull,dull motorway in heat having come down to the coastal plain from the cool hills. The hear plus my lack of energy was hard. We got here 8ish having gained an hour. Amazing mountain thunderstorm going on to our right. Oppressive heat here in Guaschill ?
We saw brahamin cows/bulls,donkeys and horses grazing the verges in the mountains . Very green,like I imagine Peru to be. Coastal strip as any coastal strip. There are shanty towns.
Sept 1st Sunday
Feeling better though diarroa still. Motorway today to hermosillo. Did 395 miles. Began bearable in a bit of rain but ended really hot at at least 104f. Duel carriage way had tolls,cows,goats,people walking and crossing, cyclists either on the hard shoulder or in the fast lane going against the flow, tractors, broken down lorries on the road, and army check points. Pickup trucks full of people standing in the back has been a usual sight. One had a Kathie sitting on a chair with the rest standing . The pickups and cars are generally very old and tied together with string. Seems amazing they move. Seen lots with oil belching out. Most lorries are in the same state, groaning up the hills making a lot of noise as very few exhaust systems seem to be working properly.
Reached our most southerly point yesterday when we were south of the tropic of cancer.
Had a swim in the bay of california. It was warm. Before the road left the coast.
Sept 2nd Monday
Short milage. Temp at 8am was 90f. Nice road ,bends,more prosperous but dry and desert like in parts. Giant cactus. Ended just over border in USA in Douglas ,Texas. One thing I haven't mentioned re. Mexico is their extraordinary habit of indicating left (driving on the right) when they want you/think it safe to overtake. They indicate right to say no. If they do turn left they generally don't let you know! Nightmare. Most of their vehicles probably don't have working lights anyway.
Still got the runs.
Sept 3rd Tuesday
Start at 6am. Long way to go. Began well with ok road but the interstate highway took over and it got hotter and hotter. Turned out to be the hottest day yet...probably 120f or 47c. Very dry heat. One tends to fill up with petrol and then rush in to the aircoditioned shop to drink yet another flask of drink and cool down. LA is vast...it took miles of freeway to get there..Redondo beach near the airport. Arrived to find all the missing people there,including Claire. Still got the runs.
Sept 4th Wednesday
Got up to wash the bike and have it to the freighters by 10am. Sea fog. Clive then hired a Harley and took me to have a look at Beverley Hills (hollywood). Not particularly impressed.
Sept 5th Thursday
Relaxed,went to Santa Monica by Harley and then finally flew out at 22.30pm to Sydney. Flight was 14 hrs long but went well.
Sept 7th Saturday
Lost a day! Sydney is very nice. Weather pleasant and spend day wandering the town. Clive took me to the opera in the evening and we saw Weber. Had a good meal afterwards near the opera house. We are staying at the YHA.
Sept 8th-11th
Enforced wait in Sydney for our bikes. Nick's reason is Sept 11th but others are more critical. In the meantime I did make contact with Robbie Porter. Clive and I had supper with him on mon eve. It was great and he told us all about his court case. I saw Leify and Will the next day. It had been 7 years since I last saw them. Judy and Robbie have split up. Clive and I also did a harbour cruise and a museum. We began to get fed up. In the morning of the 11th we heard that some bikes ,8, were cleared...one was mine.
Sept 12th Thursday
8.30am and we lucky 8 were off to the freighters. MOT,petrol and ins and then it was back to the YHA for me to get my luggage. Then I set off for Woollengong for a BMW agent where Jane and I were to have our bikes serviced. I arrived about 3pm, Jane had already arrived . Found somewhere to stay for the night. Shop began work on the bikes.
Sept 13th Friday
Mechanics had almost finished as we appeared at 10am. By 11am we were on our way to Melbourne . Took the coastal highway. Beginning to ask about the trees. Some lovely red flowers on some trees...think they are Banksia. Colourful birds. Gum trees,wattle trees and... Countryside like no other. Weather lovely and good for this time of the year. Fun riding for a couple of days with Jane away from everyone else. We should all meet up in Melbourne on Sat night. Other people getting services elsewhere. No riding after dark because of animals on the road. We stopped in a place called Genoa. One unlikely place to stay and long conversation with a part time farmer. It rains 36 ins a year here. Seems strange since it seems very dry. They get cyclonic rain as well as ordinary.
Sept 14th Saturday
Got up at 5.45am to get max hours daylight. It was 0c. And frost on our seats. Good road ...we saw one live Wallaby. Lovely road...thought Lakes Entrance was very pretty . Colourful birds everywhere . Got to jane's relations about one. Then I made my way to Toad hall in the middle of Melbourne. Great weather they say....80f. From freezing to 80f its quite a difference. Tree with red flowers is a Wara?
Sept 15th Sunday
Set off with Clive from Melbourne at 7am and had breakfast in Torquay. Great coast road but later the wind became a bore. Blowing from the north it was mostly sideways and very strong but warm. Road remained fun. Wonderful views of bays plus surf. Saw the Apostles. Longing to see a Wombat alive and a kangeroo etc Great black and white birds; and pelicans, also black and white. Rain forest. Love the inlets from the sea. Got to Robe ,still very windy with a touch of rain. Went through our most southerly point today in the southern hemisphere...Port Apollo.
Sept 16th Monday
Were wined and dined by a Tiger Moth fanatic in his hangar and given breakfast by his wife. Finally got away about 7.30am to do 600 miles. Briefly saw Jenny Clift near Adelaide. Saw my first kangeroo and then later 3 emu. Pink salt lakes northwards from Adelaide . Pelicans. Day will be remembered for strong cold side wind,cold temperature, getting in to the outback,arriving in the dark. It is apparently extra cold for the time of the year, combined with a bit of rain.
Lovely road this morning up the coast. Lots of farm land ie sheep and cattle. Sheep are a sort of grey/brown colour which blends well with the gum trees and landscape. Farming is all animal oriented in the area we have been through. Saw a Kim Cairns number plate in a bar in Pimba.!
So now in the outback with miles to go!!! Clive a bore and grumpy.
September 17th Tues
650 miles from Glendambo to Ayers Rock. Cold but sunny, prob.10c to begin with rising to 20c very gradually. Set off in front as Clive still being a pain. He and the rest then played silly games all day. Jane got abandoned by Graeme who was also being silly. In fact most of the men were being 'manly and pathetic'. Scenery ever changing from trees and bushes to smaller scrub and back again. Always the red soil. Nasty litter by the road, cans,bottles,tyres and burnt out cars. Probably the aborigines who do exactly what one has read...sit around drinking and drunk. As a consequence many bush fires from the glass. Always hoping to see animals and today saw 2 kangeroos,a dingo and an emu. Lots of large eagles eating road killed kangeroos. There were lots. Wild gourds growing on the verge. Lovely colours from the vegetation. Road trains every now and then. They can be 4 trailers long but lack of traffic means they easy to overtake. Road mostly straight but land undulating with odd outcrop. Jane and I finally got to yuluru about 5pm. Clive finally thawed after a few chosen words from me plus nearly 2 bottles of wine down him. Excellent meal of emu sausages and kangeroo steaks.
September 18th Wed
Ayers rock at 5.45am to see sunrise. It was okay but full of tourists. Then had uneventful ride to Alice Springs to have half day break. Saw a heard of camels though. Nice to relax. Swam in pool....very pleasant weather.
September 19th Thurs
Began at 6ish with 700 miles to do. Termite day! Red termite mounds everywhere looking like gravestones when enmass.Stopped in Tennant Creek for breakfast. A goldrush town! Quite alot of aboriginies, as in Alice Springs.3 kangeroos,several cows across road and many dead animals(kangeroo ). It became a bit of a marathon. Clive was a pain because he always wants to lead and also seems unable to have me in front. He goes really slowly in the dusk and then was silly when we got to Katherine and lead Jason and I the wrong way. Saw some water buffalo. Masses of small wallabies or kangeroos in the camp place. Took a picture in the dark of them. We got here about 7pm and 766 miles. A long day. Small cabin rooms great though. We had begun with temp of 8c and ended with 37c.
September 20th Friday
Tyre change for back tyre. Finally got on road with Clive at about 9am with 750 m to do. Clive's large aluminum box came off his bike about 100 miles out. Luckily I always leave space . Bends for awhile then became more boring. No animals. Trees plus terrain does change. Baobab type trees. Huge termite mounds. Halls creek full of aboriginies and so is Fitzroy Crossing when we get there. It gets dark about 6pm and we are 150 miles from Fitzroy. Cows and wallabies are a danger but finally a road train overtakes and we hang in there behind it; hopefully it will sort out any cows. It swings round a wallaby but signals to us ! We make it. Clive drinks loads of wine again and we are regalled by aboriginies . I finally sleep in the open in the campsite. Very warm and full moon. Temp had reached 100 plus f.
September 21st Saturday
Clive wakes me from my open site and off by 6am. Warm. A dirt section of road works gives drama. The red soil becomes like an ice rink when wet. They were wetting it to give a hard finish when dry. Wet was a disaster for bikes and 2 people came off in front of me. Unhurt on the whole. If I had been leading I too would have slithered off to be covered with red mud!. Altogether 6 came off including Nick!
Went to Broome...beautiful coloured sea. Uneventful road after that. Boring,straight,no animals,no bends,couldn't see the sea though close. Saw a few camels. Side wind. Port Hedland rather desperate iron ore port with salt pans behind. Temp today not so bad...reached 95f. Backpacker spot very basic and port noisy all night.
September 22 nd Sunday
Left Port Headland at 6am with Clive. Jason and Marco left earlier to do 1000 miles in one. Early morning mist and road kills. Saw Emu...several. 550 miles to do. Un eventful road. The roadhouses can be interesting spots. Heard that Adrian has a wheel bearing problem and that Graham has a knee injury from yesterday. Weather getting slowly colder but still around 80f. Sunny. The road is near the coast but you cannot see the sea. We deviated to Brome. Tropical. Beautiful sea..turquoise. Bushes in the sea ...mangrove like. The whole coast is tropical though inland it continues to look like outback. 565 miles and stop in Carnarvon.
September 23rd Monday
Weather getting colder.. Also more flowers on the bushes are very pretty. Roadkill of large kangeroos. Goats by the road, healthy,pretty,all colours . Sheep. Big kangeroo . Emu. Scenery continues to undulate and subtly change. Push on 570 miles to Perth. By the time we arrive it is spitting with rain.
September 24th Tuesday
Breakfast down the road and get to the freighters to pack the bike. Have my hair cut in the afternoon. Shop around and look at Perth. Quite nice but not as good as Sydney .
September 25th Wednesday
Up at 4.15amto get to the airport for flight at 7.20am to Singapore . Flight 5hrs and we stay at the Meridien in Changi. Clive takes Jason and Marco and me to the Changi sailing club for dinner. Very tropical and it thunders,lightningand rain. Swim in pool.
September 26th Thursday
Went into the city and shopped. Cheapish and can bargain. Bought a watch to replace my old one. Wandered around. Very steamy hot,bit like a sauna. Went to Holland village for supper. Also Raffles long bar to have a Singapore Sling.
September 27th Friday
Hear the bikes have come through earlier. Good thing ,it is pouring with rain! Warm though. Took ages however but finally went down there at about 5pm and brought bikes back to the hotel. Clive took Marco and I to the sailing club for supper.
September 28th Saturday
Set off about 10am for Malaysia. Hot,sticky. Not far to go to Melacca. Clive took us to Kikut up (?)for our lunch then we took the coast road up to Melacca. Majestic palm trees in palm oil plantains,loose chickens,some cows,loads of honda 50's buzzing around. We attract attention. Pretty,lush,bungalow type buildings in the woods. Flowers.Busy road. 200 odd miles.
September 29th Sunday
Clive a pain but we all set off at 8.30am. Short day. Saw monkeys cross road enmass. Lovely road, palm plantations ,roadside stalls. Hondas everywhere. Ended up in Cherating Beach. Beachy kind of huts on stilts, very basic but fine. Couldn't swim because of jelly fish but paddled. Like a warm bath ! Great beach.Good restaurant. Paid through the nose ie 4 pounds for a main course. Had a main course last night for 50p. Petrol is 20p per litre. So different to Mexico where the poorer went around in the back of a pick up with one of them owning it....very clapped out. Here they each have a honda...old in some cases too. Amazing shops open till 10pm or more. Extraordinary casual style shops...internet cafe in a shed etc. Clive continuing to be sulky about nick etc and stays somewhere else.
September 30th Monday
Set off earlyish at 7.30am with 500 miles to do. Up the coast and then back across to the east coast to George Town on Pinang. Lovely mountain road with jungle views. People with stalls all along the roads selling mainly fruit and veg. Cows,chickens and goats wander everywhere. Rivers slow moving and muddy. It rains all year round,just one part of the year is wetter than another. I rode with Marco today. Clive not around or refusing to meet up and jason wanted to take photos. Traffic quite busy in parts. Plus little bikes. They all have their jackets on frontwards instead of normal...not sure why..the rain I guess.
October 1st Tuesday
100 miles to the border. Saw paddy fields and egrets. They were using some funny machines with wheels in the watery fields. Thailand was immediately full of colour and flowers.Trucks overloaded. They are open backed and the load is on the open tail gate as well as going up high. Their front wheels are almost off the ground when they get a bounce on. The mopeds are also loaded to much the same degree. On the dual carriageway people walk/cross,mopeds go either side and either way of you. Generally they use the hard shoulder but some times it does not exist. Cows geneally tethered but not always and dogs are not. Countryside green. Pickup country again. Unlike Mexico the pickups are quite good. Here they are used as taxis. High side frame with canopy and side seating. Tailgate open,though, so when full people stand there as well. Ends up quite top heavy. Nothing like the loads they carry as well. Totally overloaded like the lorries with very high load. All these loads are covered with tarpaulin so we do not know what they are. We did 625 miles...too much and it was 35c or 94f plus the humidity. I have never been so sweaty all over. Huan hua(?) seems nice ...we arrived after dark just. Amazing smells all day...and nice not to see so much religion. All those poor little girls in Malaysia with headskarves. They keep them on even under crash helmets. In Thailand they do not seem to be muslim and look much happier.
Went and found the beach,very lovely.
Claire has managed to hook up Jane again,and Graham. They have gone to Phuket. Quite a few have not made it this far here.
October 2nd Wednesday
Clive and I have opted to try and get to Cambodia to see Ankor Wat. So trying to get to the border today. First saw 'the bridge over the river Kwai' . It was interesting. Then on we went. The river Mae Nam that runs into Bangkok had burst its banks in Ang Thong.Lots of sandbags and muddy water. Minor fun as we motorbiked through flood water on the road. Life by the roadside almost everywhere. More dogs. Mopeds coming everyway and confusing in the dark (we had half an hour aa it gets dark early). 426 miles. Stayed in a very smart hotel costing £15 per room. Unbelievably cheap and staff everywhere. Not that many people speak English in this part.
Trucks ,6 wheeled, still defying their loads.
October 3rd Thursday
Mum's birthday. We set off at 9am to see if we can get through tge border. We succeed with no problems with the help of a wheeler dealer in return for about £3. We are so sweaty by the time we finish. Its about 90f as usual. The border is teeming with masses of handcarts going in every direction loaded with all kinds of produce. Wild! Little boys running in every direction. Mopeds everywhere. All sorts of smuggling going on. We get through and then see the road...worse than any farm road,potholes every inch of the way. It takes an hour to do 7 miles. We are told it gets better. It does and we have potholed tarmac for 20 miles. We are trying to do just 100 miles. Very poor people. Villages full of shacks. Filthy. Most houses are wooden affairs on piles above the water which in turn looks like a putrid swamp. Water buffaloo, cows,dogs all roam. Complete subsistence existence. Our tarmac gives out and it is potholes all the way till we hit water. We watch others and go for it. At first we suceed but in the third bit the bikes cut out. Lots of boys push and we get them out. We attract lots of attention as we try to get them going again. Water in the cylinders. Get mine going but not Clive's whose starter motor sounds dreadful. All this time we are in motorcycle trousers and boots which are wet with water and sweat. The crowd decide that I should tow Clive to the next village. They are amused at this since they assume I am Clive's wife. This sounded dreadful...towing over the potholes. However it worked very well till we reached more water before the village. Clive pushed his. Mine conked again and had to be dried out again. Then its starter sounded dreadful but it started. At the village the mechanic was not capable/frightened of touching the bmw. Again lots of people. Very crude existence. Very friendly,no one thieving, beautiful girls. We have to give up and negotiate a ride back in a pickup with the bikes. 60 miles...it took 4 hours. Still in my motorbike trousers and swimming wet feet. We get to the border at about 10pm. Its closed and we stay in a hotel there. Already people are queueing for the morning and tgey sleep anywhere. Mopeds don't seem to get used in the dark. Most probably don't have working lights. Our pickup...nice driver...only had temp gauge working. He needed it...had to stop for a top up. Anything broken down just stops in the road. But all willing to help each other. The pickup had 4 people on the back somewhere clinging as we lurched through the holes. In the rain it would be in passable. It was quite a day. In all this we had no cambodian money . No small change for all our helpers. A few pence was all much of it cost. But we managed with thai money. We never saw anything resembling a bank!
October 4th Friday
Unbelievable mass with their carts trying to get through the border. The nights stay cost £6. We push our bikes through all the various checkpoints along with the carts. Mine would not start this morning either. Think we are going to push them to the hotel but too far. Get a kind of motorbike taxi to tow us. In tandem we must have looked amazing. It worked! Mechanic sought and find both starter motors cracked. The heat followed by the water cracked the metal. This hotel luxurious ,all for £15 a room. Its a day off luckily. Have to be in Bangkok tomorrow night.
October 5th Saturday
Go to Bangkok . Much traffic but following a moped we get there. General reunion of the others who went north. Frank had broken down and was being repaired in Bangkok . Drinks with the mayor! Bit of shopping. Amazing stalls everywhere especially food. But so humid. The temperature has been very constant, 84f in the night rising to 95f during the day.
October 6th Sunday
Off at 8.30am. Bangkok does not signpost anything outside the town! Went past the Grand palace . Very beautiful . Now going back down the same road we came up. Stayed in Chum phon. Arrived early enough to have a swim in the sea at last. Like a hot bath! Lovely islands off shore with what looked like nice beaches. 410 miles.
October 7th Monday
Off at 7.30am. We lose an hour today and we have 500m to do. Still back tracking..this time to George Town. See two monkeys in the back of a pickup...not tied up. Otherwise we take a scenic route for a bit. Got slightly wrong which added a few miles to the day. It rained a fair amount. Warm..one doesn't bother with waterproofs. However it got fairly uncomfortable! Did mostly dry out before arriving. Starter motor still sounding scratchy but working. Heard that Jason and Marco saw an elephant in the back streets of Bangkok . It had a red light on its tail in the dark.! Wish I'd seen it.
October 8th Tuesday
Up to start at 7am but Clive had overslept. Left at 7.30. Motorway driving. Teams of workmen with small strimmers strimming the motorway banks. Ridiculous!. Real rain forest to be seen. Kept going to Johor Baru just opposite Singapore . Clive got lost ,it poured , thundered, and lightning. Got wateroroofs on in garage to Be confronted by a river to cross as left garage!. It was deep.! Rivers of mud!. Couldn't believe we were in water again ! Had to turn back at one point because to deep. Exciting. Finally made the hotel.
October 9th Wednesday
Lengthy proceedure getting through border. Then went to bmw shop where Clive got his bike seen to. He has a missing tooth on his fly wheel...he is not happy. Mercifully mine seems intact. Did some shopping.
October 10th Thursday
Hung about doing this and that including crating up the bikes for the last time. Once again dripping with sweat. It has been a constant 95f whilst in this region. Fly out this evening.
October 11th Friday
Arrived latish at the Taj hotel. Up early and off to the factory; the enfield factory. We were totally catered for and collected our Enfield bikes. Mines blue! Everything back to front, gears on different side and up is down and down is up. Strange single cylinder bikes. Chennai or Madras is very filthy and poor. People living in 'palmy' woven houses. Filthy dirt pavements and pollution. Colourful pretty people, especially the women.
October 12th Saturday
Chennai to Bangalore. We all rode together following the factory guys. Sign posts not great and concentrating on the traffic. Lorries overtake on blind bends etc. We have to get out of the way. We only had 380 KILOMETRES to do but the bike is not fast...top speed 100 k. All traffic seems to go about this speed. Our bikes have useless acceleration too though since I am the lightest I can go the best up hills. Poverty in Madras. Countryside green, earth pale red. People walk,bicycle and a few have mopeds. There are white taxis of an ancient car design..very old fashion. There are toot toots in all towns. Many buses crabbing along the road. A few amazing loads on lorries though nothing like Thailand . No pick ups. We arrive in Bangalore in the dark led in by enfield people. It was quite late and several men are fed up with the bikes since they had overheated the clutches by not getting into neutral . Clive flipped too.
October 13th Sunday
Bangalore to Mangalore on the west coast. Pretty, we do a pass at about 1100m. Jungle,raining,lorries and bad road surface in parts. We see about 4 major truck crashes. They not only crash but collapse in the crash! Axles,etc. When 3 trucks meet something has to happen ! My bike had a minor fuel problem and I was givena ride in the back up van. Quite bad news...safer on the bike. He overtook on blind bends with his horn blaring. We must use horns when ever overtaking. No one looks in mirrors,no bus seems to have brake lights etc that works. It began to rain. I have no waterproofs with me as it was not meant to rain. We stop in the most sordid looking place and have some food . It is amazingly good and 2 meals,3 pepsis cost 41 rupees (70 to the £). It pours and we have to go. It rained the rest of the way. I was not very happy.
October 14th Monday
Same milage to do 375k to Goa. Up the coast. We begin in rain and I wear a dustbin liner underneath! Its warm though. It does stop but by tge end of the day has begun again. This is not normal..the monsoons should have finished. Many cows wandering and dogs, apart from vehicles. Animals perhaps the worst today. See monkeys and an elephant. He was a temple elephant . As we came into Goa it was very pretty. Road varies. Green countryside with various crops. We finish at Sinquerim beach in Goa.
October 15th Tuesday
To Puna 450 plus kilometers. The only fun bit was cutting through the mountains. Very rural..cutting goats up by the roadside,cows, waterbuffalo,oxen ploughing,threshing corn by the road etc. Road was tarmacked but very rough in parts. Then we went through Kohlapur, an ordinary town...it was teeming with people. The traffic was huge but it all trickled through the town in ordered chaos...oxen,bicycles, people,trucks etc. The main road was awful. With 100% concentration we got along. We heard later that there was a bad accident with dead on the road. Countryside has now changed from tropical to a drier look. I did not like the steamy Goa. Everything wet. Beach was pretty!
October 16th Wednesday
It was raining a bit and photographer wanted pictures in the rain . I was not playing ball and nor was Clive. Nick had tried to get us up early with a 6.45am call to do 230k. I was not pleased. C and I began after everyone and arrived first. All the rest got sidelined by a dealer to some party in the rain. It did not rain on us! Scenery changed...drier,more open,some fine views. Green trees dotted around. Women washing clothes in the rivers,men washing their trucks. Well water being hauled up by rope. It is very basic and lots of more of the same.
October 17th Thursday
7.30 start. Good weather . Busy road. Main highway from Bombay to Delhi. With 130k to go it turns very bumpy. Only managed 35k per hour. Wild traffic. Trucks crawling uphill at about 5mph but all over the road. Trucks also on wrong side of road. Coming into Indore (425k) the pollution just hung in the air. We all arrived with black faces from the traffic. Absolutely disgusting. Countryside has become quite dry. Towns much the same...squalid and full of people.
October 18th Friday
Up at 5.30am and off at 6.30am. Not long after Clive crashes. He collides with a bicycle going across the duel carriageway. Clive is concussed, mildly. Everyone arrives and soon we are at the police station. The boy on the bicycle is fine, small bang on head, but the family see this as a great opportunity for making money. Police station,hospital,police and then court. I had a pee at the police station...outside round the corner were two latrines and a space! Elspeth stood guard while I squatted and then I stood guard for her. After much background pulling of strings Clive is free to go. He had to pay various officials etc. The family got 1500 rupees...they should not have had anything. However blame was not the issue! Normally this process would have taken 3 months . Mice ran around the police station floor,rats were seen outside. Filthy black hairy pigs now a feature of the streets. I saw one having its nose licked by a puppy. At 3.30pm we left. Clive in the service van and myself,Richard,Elspeth and Gitain (indian friend of Matts) riding the bikes. Clive's bike okay enough but light broken. Dirty and finally in the dark we could not make contact with the service van which had our bags. So Clive had to find somewhere with his indian drivers/mechanics and the 4 of us elsewhere. Found a basic hotel (clean sheets,towels but no loo paper or shower) costing 250 for the room. Still in our filthy,sweaty motorbike clothes we ate a good meal in this filthy town, Biaora. Dirt street,no elec because it had failed,pigs,cows,goats,people,dogs rubbish etc. Driving at night we had trucks with no lights plus oxcarts,tractors people,bicycles all with no lights and coming towards you they don't dip.
October 19th Saturday
Trying to get to Agra...400k. Up and off by 6am. Had walked the main street and people sleep anywhere,pigs wander,rats,open sewer. Best part of the day with the country waking up. It soon gets going and we are soon ever more dirty. Filthy towns with dirt roads. Absolute chaos. One town there is a fatal accident and huge crowd. We can't get through even by bike. More truck accidents on the open road..remains of anyway. We plug on,sweaty with chi breaks and finally arrive in Agra at about 6.30pm. Had a bath with a glass of indian wine!
October 20th Sunday
Up at 7am to see the Taj Mahal. Its by a river which was a surprise and in the town. Agra is filthy as well. We attend press conference. Everyone is now together and Clive back on a bike. We set off for Delhi enmass, led by various Enfield guys. Press again when we get there. Hand over the bikes,shower and try to get some sleep before leaving for the airport at midnight.
October 21st Monday
Hang about airport at Delhi till flight leaves at 4.30am. Arrive Dubai 7ish. Hot. Clive hires car and shows Marco and I around town. We then have a swim in the sea and pool beside Meridian hotel. It is all much as I would imagine Dubai to be. Expensive. Plane to Istanbul delayed,left an hour late. Arrived about 7 local time and after a bit of food went to bed.
October 22nd Tuesday
Did a bit of sightseeing..blue mosque plus bazaar. Pleasant city. Nice weather. We all relaxed. Went to nice restaurant in the evening called Rami.
October 23rd Wednesday
Hung about. Got my bag that had gone missing on the plane . Finally off to airport. Nick without Elspeth is a disaster. We lie around on floor and grass only to find that Nick must have done little yesterday. Finally get the bikes and set off about 4pm. We get to the border as it gets dark and then have to ride on for another couple of hours to Kavala in Greece .
October 24th Thursday
Longish day to Igoumenista the port for the ferry to Bari in Italy. We go across Greece through very pretty mountains on a lovely road ,twisty with lorries. Very slippery surface in places and we all three (clive,marco and I) slip a few times..a bit scary. Arrive in Port at 7pm. No Nick ofcourse but we eventually get on the 9pm by the skin of our teeth. Others get on a later ferry.
October 25th Friday
9am and the boat docks. Soon on our way. 480 miles to do but all on motorway. Italy looks pretty,green etc. Weather is very pleasant and the sun mostly shines. We call on some relations of Marco's near Rome. This delays us but he is pleased. Finally get to Florence about 7pm. Clive gets cross because we can't find the place !.
October 26th Saturday
Another motorway day. Florence to Montpelier. 500 miles. Lovely weather after a cloudy start. Marco goes alone to see Pisa, so Clive and I alone since Jason likes going fast on motorway. Pretty scenery, typical french/italian but not fun from motorway.
October 27th Sunday
Great riding through Pyrennes and on into a very rural area north of Teruel for the night. Very small narrow road, very bendy and hotel in the middle of no where. Trout farm nearby. It was near Villarluengo.
October 28th Monday
A hugely long day 563 miles. 2 hours of bends to start with then motorway and then the Sierra Nevada. We rode over 2 passes of 2000m on small roads. Constant bends and as it got late we began to get weary of bends! Finally got there about 9pm. It seemed very pretty. Lots of villages in the hills and probably lots of brits!
October 29th Tuesday
Began at 7am to go to Granada to get a front tyre for me. The road was twisty for a while. Never saw the area in proper day light. On from Granada to Algerceras to catch ferry to Ceuta and thence to Morocco. Border into Morocco was tedious. Arrived in chefchahoun an hour after dark. It gets dark early at this time of year. Very attractive town,full of li,cafes ,restaurants etc. Rough in parts but cleaner than I mught have thought.
October 30th Wednesday
400 miles to do. Nice winding road. Green rolling countryside. Olive groves,old and new. Good soil which probably needs irrigation . Ploughing by donkey as well as tractors. Donkeys everywhere as well as mules and horses. Donkey carts ,donkeys being ridden. Few mopeds. People carried in transit vans. Few pick ups. Some very poor but cleaner than India. Mercedes taxis and cars everywhere...masses of them. Not to much traffic so nice riding. Just got to Marrakesh before dark at 6pm and got a moped to take us in. Seems to be full of different compounds. Lively 'place ' full of food stalls selling cooked meals. Its not that cheap and petrol is quite expensive.
October 31st Thursday
Began by getting
Clives tyres changed as well as Bills and Johns. Motorbike round Marrakesh and end up in impossibly narrow 'streets'. Centre is tidy for tourists.! On through the Atlas mountains . Dramatic scenery. Lovely road. Short mileage today so really enjoyed the riding. Ended up in Ait Ben Haddou in the Atlas mountains near the sahara. People have been selling crystal quartz by the road. Villages very original and houses made of mud. They seem to be subsisting on tiny fields terraced in the river valley. Hotel simple but foreign!
November 1st Friday
88th day. Went for an early morning walk to look at the older parts. Clive came too. Apparently this town is used as a film set. Only 120 miles to do we began at nine am. We pottered along. Desert like with houses made of mud. Sadly replacement walls are being made of cement. Not so many animals as not much to eat. Temp.pleasant at about 75f. Towns fairly organised...traffic light. Most traffic is tour operators in 4 wheel drive vehicles...endless stream of them. Spend the night in Teneiher(?) which seems to be not on the tour operators agenda for the night. Hotel made of mud originally. Ate Tagine. Stew. People walk everywhere...all along the roads, even in desert areas. We have been at above 1100m the last two days in and on the edge of the Atlas mts. Wild camels. Masses of olives.
November 2nd Saturday
89th day. Began at 7.45am. Beautiful morning on the edge of the desert. Stop in Errachidia for tea/coffee. Gorge de Ziz was disappointing as a gorge but otherwise very scenic. Before Ifrane it looked like an alpine valley and Ifrane seemed like an alpine resort centre....very strange. It is the king's summer place spot. Many herders with their sheep...its quite high..leading what looked like a nomadic existence. Mules ploughing. Fes for the night. Road been good and little traffic. Went to the medina...old city...narrow streets,very alive ,donkeys/mules well laden.
November 3rd Sunday
90th day. Leave Fes to go back to Spain. Go through area of good farm land and everyone is very busy ploughing with donkey /mules . Saw some broadcasting seed by hand. They do have tractor powered drills too! Weather still very,very pleasant. Reach ferry at 1pm having done 200 miles. Destination Ronda where we met mum and dad. Wonderful gorge. Good meal in restaurant over the gorge.
November 4th Monday
91st day. Had evening with Mum and Dad who stayed in the hotel with us. Breakfast and off by 9am. Clive and I are now on our own. Head for Valencia and end up slightly north after about 465 miles. Acres and acres of olive trees to start the day but ended with more concentrated farm land near Reguene. Heavy into grapes too. Beautiful scenery,lovely mountains. Stayed in a motorway hotel.....fairly awful.
November 5th Tuesday
92nd
Day began badly with Clive's bike's starter motor failing. It was damaged in Cambodia. Wasted the morning, but it was replaced finally, and we set off about 12 ish. Motorway,pretty countryside, ended up in Carcassone at about 7ish.
November 6th Wednesday
93rd
Began 8am. Cold 45f. Bit of motorway and N road. In the afternoon it began to rain. Still cold. 400 odd miles again. Got to Tours in the rain. Quick intro to autumn in northern europe. Bit of a shock.
November 7th Thursday
94th
Sun shining. 300 miles to Hesdin. Some rain ahowers around. Coldish. Autumn countryside ...rolling .
November 8th Friday
95th
Day relaxing before the shock of Norfolk in November .
Trip in Sept/Oct 2004
Tues Sept 21
Set off in the afternoon towards Plymouth with Clive. We reached services by M40 near Souldern. Everywhere full! Tuesday night! Found a pub in Ardley.150 miles
Wed Sept 22
Left at 8am and reached Plymouth about 1.30pm. It had taken about 6hrs riding time. It was 360 miles. Took Brittany ferries to Santander at 4pm. Quite windy but brand new ferry so Clive should be okay re seasickness...latest technology! 210 miles
Thurs Sept 23rd
Was windy but boat great. Force 6/7. We were delayed an hour and arrived 12 noon but the motorcyclists were almost last off having been parked on a low deck in a corner. Quite a few ...all off to various destinations. Temp 21 c. Once we had cleared mountains south and on our way to Palencia temp rose to 25c. By the end of the day at Salamanca it was near 30c. Clive leading the way. Road fast and not too busy as we chose a main route to get to Portugal tomorrow night. Nice bends in mountains south of Santander. New clothing working and light to wear.Camped. 240 miles
Friday Sept 24th
Quite cold...14c..and did not get going till 10am. Dry, brown countryside. Kites on the wing. Saw one storks nest but no storks. Cattle. Lots of trucks but otherwise traffic fine. Made good progress and reached Gois at about 3pm. We were going there to attend a "horizons unlimited" meeting. A few others had arrived and that night we listened to various presentations (slideshows). It all got very late and did not crawl into the tent till after midnight. Clive had gone to see his plot earlier in order, partly, to avoid others perhaps. Jealousy….?. We camped. About 190 miles.
Sat Sept 25th
Coldish in the night, but sun began to hit the tent about 8.30am and then all fine.! More people had arrrived/were arriving. Went off with 8 others to be led by a portugese called Carlos round some dirt roads..Clive too. The men looked at me and by bike and I am sure thought I would hold them up. However I did not ; though I did drop the bike down the last bit of track! It was pretty rough. Bent my screen supports,but will straighten out. Attended more slideshows in the evening after the barbecue. Linda told us about her Ukraine trip and Carlos about Maurautania and deserts. Not forgetting Grant Johnson, the founder of HU.
Sun Sept 26th
The HU get together slowly disbanded. We are staying here in this campsite for another couple of nights.Go for a walk up the river side (steep banks/rocky) with Linda and "Shoo` her Malaysian friend/workmate who had come along with her. I am a bit stiff in the front of my lower legs from motorbiking. Relaxed. Linda played guitar in the evening and Antonio`s father in law played fado on the accordion.
Mon Sept 27th
Go to Penala to meet with Sergio re,Clive`s building works. They have excavated ie created the drive and flattened where the house will go and garage etc. Left Clive talking to builder and went to Coimbra to internet and shop. Back too late to swim in river with Clive. (I had got hot too!). Dog tried to eat our food in the night and the mattress sprang a leak...flat in early morning.
Tues Sept 28th
Set off late ish to go to Lisbon about 180 miles. 30 or so c. Dry and sunny. Many tractors and trailors carting produce....tomatoes (getting squelshed), some kind of grain being harvested this late ( sorghum?) and grapes. grape harvest in swing. Camped in Monsanto area and went to Alfama in evening to try and find fado /flamenco . Found the area but not much action.
Wed Sept 29th
Our inflatable mattress failed after my repairs. Another split. So to camping shop and bought two singles of similar but different make to before (camping gaz). Off to Cape St Vincent in the very south of P by about 11am.
Changed minds and took scenic route more inland. Dry,brown, 33c. Reached Albufeira and camped. Had a look at A...over developed,too many tourists,expensive.
Thurs Sept 30th
Did internet and left about 10.30am.Motorway till after Seville. Mules and mules with Egrets on their backs. Cotton being grown south of Seville.Spent night in `adventure centre` near Algerceras called Huerca Grande. This was a recommendation of Carlos the photographer.First night in hotel since leaving.
Friday Oct 1st
Enjoyed the bed. Woke to a cloudy day...less hot. Just,just made it aboard the 11am ferry to Ceuta; could not have timed it better. About 35 euro one way. Off to the border where Clive got into action. Employed the help of a man since we suspected trouble....neither of us had original vehicule registration docs with us. Just photocopies. With the help of the `capitaine` we were through.As before cloudy damp weather and 23c.So next time REMEMBER REG DOCS. Cup of tea,ATM machine and off to Chefchahoun, hotel Castellane. Donkeys with loads,mules roaming, rubbish esp plastic bags,egrets. its Friday and no where near so busy as last time.Had a nice meal with beer bought in a little bar. Alcohol not allowed!
Sat Oct 2nd
Cold in night....thin sheet only. The plan is to go to Taza. Men wandering by the road. Mules with loads,donkeys with loads, women with huge bundles of sticks. Slow lorries but not much traffic. We climb to 1650m. Forested with big pines. Reach Kemata. As we sit in cafe a man comes past with a wheelbarrow of fish(iced) and then another man with a wheelbarrow of prickly pears.We then take road to Taza...secondary and described on the map as dangerous in parts. It was dirt in places,washed away on some bends so periously thin for a car but okay on a bike. In some places there were mounds of wind blown soil to go over. No problem. Clives bike then lost a nut on its back brake..whoever put the last brake pads on or tyre did not tighten enough. It was Clive I found out later! Got that fixed and had a bit further to go. Getting dark...C does not like that and went quicker than usual and nearly had problems on a bend with a lorry. Close shave! Arrived Taza.Put slide film in, in afternoon.
Sun Oct 3rd
Mum`s birthday. Day off ie 2 nights in Taza. Went on a loop on bikes to see a cavern and a gorge. Clive did not fancy the 500 odd steps down to the `gouffre du Friouato` It was great. Could have gone further down with torch. Biggest in Africa apparently!
Got washing done. Staying in new town,as opposed to medina.Hotel Dauphin. They/the town were early to bed last night..strangely.Went for a walk and found market in this part of town. No tourists. Ate down on main road at Boudelle rest.(lorry driver kind of place,). Had tagine.
Mon Oct 4th
Set off east across a rolling plain at 550m or so. No trees,fertile,men guarding their herds,lovely yellow colours. Land deeply cut by dry river beds and fissures from heavy rain. Then a few trees, first donkey carts,followed by horse carts. Odd fortified houses and oases.Shanty town at Taza and Guercif.We left the tarmac just after Guercif to cut across to the main road heading south to Figuig. Took a track `as on map`! It wax criss crossed with lots more! Having some hills to head for we could keep our bearings.Very friendly people in scattered nomadic settlements. Did 40 miles to next bit of tarmac. Nowhere to stay in Ain Benimather so went on across a flat plateau about 1500 metres high; scattered Berber tents and ramshackle houses. Berber with their flocks of sheep/goats. Still no hotel in next town, Tendrara so camped in the desert after buying some basic food. High ,starry, but windy so did not sleep well...berber nearby. Trucks came by at 5am. Mobile works!.We rang mum the in the evening. She was amazed.
Tues Oct 5th
Off without any bother. Wind still with us and now blowing sand in places. Good road through desert. No unleaded petrol to be had so finally topped up with leaded...me 50/50 ,Clive 1/3 leaded. No leaded till Er Richida but we go to Figuig. Algerian border shut (we knew). Couple of police checks, evidence of recent rain, vivid green where there is water, a few wild camel , virtually no traffic, berbers dotted around: wind and we conserve petrol at 60mph.Figuig Hotel...past its heyday!
Wed Oct 6th
Woke at 3.30am with diarrhea from the foul meal I had had. Felt awful,shivering, hot,achy and very weak. Lay in bed all day and only in mid afternoon started to feel a tiny bit better. Clive great, seeing to cups of tea etc.Tried to get up but failed and still felt awful all night .
Thurs Oct 7th
Felt weak but better so we set off for Errachidia.Had to stop in each town for loo.Fairly boring desert without many berbers. Herds of wild camels, a few wandering donkeys, gravelly. One place had some big white butterflies. Got to Errachida and unleaded petrol where we saw an english vintage car rally going the other way. Pressed on to Goulmima and to Place d`hote La Palmerie run by a french lady.Just as I could have imagined a house in a Palmerie! Big house inside its compound with trees etc. Still stomach cramps and did not eat much.
Fri Oct 8th
1 week here.Still suffering stomach cramps etc. Walked around Goulmima and shopped. Went for small ride but defeated by desert wind/sand blowing! Original villages made of mud;black plastic bags flying in the desert;birds flying around in town. Peace and tranquillity back at hotel.
Sat Oct 9th
Now feeling fine.Wind blowing and rain in the air. We set off on short trip to Merzouga. Tarmac BUT missing 2 bridges over dry river bed. C takes interesting route and I drop the bike slowly in sand.C helps to pick it up. At next bridge we help to push car stuck in the sand.! Mostly gravel on the track, just small patches of sand. All the time dust blowing. Arrived Merzouga and definately feel in desert as we stay next to huge sand dune, part of Erg Chebbi, the biggest dune in Morocco. Stay in a kasbar.Very sandy in wind.When we arrived we could see the dune,later it was blowing so much we could not.Pictures in morning! Camel race and pestering men. We have been roughly following the Paris-Dakka route by chance . . . Goulmima, Erfoud, Merzouga, Zagora, except they go direct!.Watched camel race in dust and wind. Chaos!
Sun Oct 10th
Early up to take photos in dunes.Wind dropped but cloudy. Pestered even in dunes. Erfoud for fuel and then Agdz/Zagora. Unleaded maybe problem. Countryside soon grey gravel and hardly any life. Then dotted with trees. Mts on either side as usual. Locusts on the wing hitting us.Still cant get over the bright green of their crops in oasis..is it the donkey and mule shit they fertilise with? Sacks of it are carried around everywhere by people,donkeys,bicycles etc. The Draa valley was full of date palms with date harvest in full swing. Many mud built ksars and/or kasbars beside the dried up river (dam up stream). Stopped at La Palmerie hotel with good facilities.Wine! Nevertheless loo seat lid with moroccan habit of falling on your back.
Mon Oct 11th
Early start on dirt road (N12!) to Foum Zgid. 120 km. Did not perform well on the sandy bits and put bike down 3 times and once on thick gravel. C did once in sand. It took longer than hoped but no damage apart from sugar jar opening in my box and eventually covering entire contents in icing sugar as we bumped along! Some parts rocky.! Pressed on to Tata and stopped in Les Relais des Sables along with a large group of french. They were friendly and we all managed some alcohol. In some places it is difficult to buy some.
As usual, mts on eitherside , silhouetted,looking lovely, as we ride these wide,barren, valleys.Colours changing and always evidence of what happens when it rains heavily. But people friendly...one helped me with bike and then we helped man with donkey load.
Tues Oct 12th
Set off on wrong road up pretty valley with great geographical features...strata,folds,rain fissures etc. Geographers paradise. Road running along desert edge..oases now and then otherwise barren. Very few Berber tents as we near Bouizakarne.Go on to Guelmim (also spelt Goulmime) and finally spend night at thermal baths at Abeino. Discover that dates given us by local donkey man C helped , come from United Arab Emirates! We had a swim in the baths...very nice. Lovely body temp warmth and not smelly.
Wed Oct 13th
Clive`s autocom wires have failed in part so we messed around getting the passenger wire to reach. Works. Off to Tarfaya..south. Saw odd little creatures on way to Tan Tan, including chameleon. Barren and little traffic. TT for coffee. Then Tarfaya for `little prince `statue. Did that and on to Laayoune because Tarfaya was fairly basic ( dirt streets). Stay in hotel Mekka. Town full of UN. This is our southernmost stop. Road dull and we would have to retrace.
Thurs Oct 14th
Day off but up at 6.45am for C to go down and get the bikes out of the patisserie shop where they spent the night. Wandered round town, bought some jewellery and did internet then had lunch.Clive stocking up on food today! Plenty of UN, soldiers and police. Looked at pictures of Green March in the Parador hotel.Managed to have wine with meal(we brought it in!). One lone dutch lady came in to eat. She had just got in her car back home and driven south...pressure at work. Lone man came in...he was half moroccan,half greek, born in Syria and brought up in Germany etc.
Friday Oct 15th
Set off back north. Cold 22c and windy. It was that temp coming down. Saw 4 lorry loads of camels. You could just see their heads if they tried to look out over the sides of the lorry(they were lying down). Dunes,dull barren otherwise till you see sight of the sea.First day of ramadam and cafes are shut. Sit on beach for lunch of water and biscuits.Headed off into a strong wind and some dust. Came back to Abaynou(Abeino) near Guelmim. Thermal bath place. There is an english couple...first brits we have seen.!
Sat Oct 16th
Cloudy and 18c as we set off to Sidi Ifni through cultivated prickly pear country. Donkeys, surfing beaches but deserted. 3 campervans at Ifni! Women washing clothes at a well and people always fetching water.Agadir big . Coves and rocks north. Large herd of camels lying on one beach. Surfing by european young, mostly french or german.At Tamri there was a banana plantation. Find auberge near Tamanar called Auberge Tasra at Imsouane..More like a youth hostel with bunk rooms, kitchen facilities, pot smoking, chess playing. We get our own room but shared facilities. Good meal and wine.
Sun Oct 17th
Short ride up the coast to Sidi Kaouki. Not that warm...20c. Argan trees everywhere, some looking remarkably dead. Buy some oil and other argan products in Tamanar. See goats up trees, masses of donkeys `waiting to be used`, small herd of sheep being put in luggage hold of coach, cows on top of a lorry load, sheep ditto. Room wonderful view over sea and beach. Very basic village. Ride camel on the beach and body surf. Stayed in Auberge Marabout.
Mon Oct 18th
Day in Essaouira. Weather cool and cloudy. Wander old town and buy thuya tray. Lots of nice thuya products but no room on bike. Cheap...tray 60 dirhams...£4. Finally got to port which was a hive of fishing industry..masses of boats,all wooden and big ones being built of wood. Fresh fish being landed ..possible to sit and eat fresh fish in small open air restaurants. Men gutting and scaling right by the quay. Check out beach for windsurfing possibility for Robert and watch some kite boarding. It is windy..force 3/4. Back to Sidi Kaoute where there is a couple of good kite boarders in the waves.
Tues Oct 19th
Late start. Off to Marrakesh...inland. Man on donkey leading a camel. Donkey riding becomes donkey carts with canvas roofs. Then mules and then more tractors as it becomes more prosperous towards Marrakesh. Straw stacks covered in mud. Temp rises the moment we turn inland. Clive loses a bolt on his brake again. We get a kind of replacement in the next town. It is not doing his spokes any good. Excellent marquetry going on in this town.
Arrived in Marrakech in time to have a wander and internet. Stay in same place as with Nick...Hotel Fantasia (Riad hotel). Went to main square to soak up the marrakech ambiance!
Wed Oct 20th
Victoria`s birthday and Clive gives her a ring (she is in Australia.) Set off up the Tizzi n Test. Not touristy as I had thought. Subsistence living on the whole. High pass 2100m gave on to a fantastic view of the valley below. In the valley oasis of greenery and Argan trees, gave way to pockets of individual tiny green farms. Road goes high, up to 1600m or so and it gets cool. Funny sight as I come over brow of hill...3 bicycles beside 3 men with bottoms up praying to Mecca beside the road! Nice road and we get on fast to Ait Bin Haddou, where we stay in Defat Kasbar just above Ait B H. Nice place by dried up river bed. Meet another bike..2 up, french girl and italian man.We compare maps and routes! Tizzi n Test took 5 hours with stop.
Thurs Oct 21st
Decide to stay another night and do a circular route via Telouet and back down part of Tizi n Tichka...about 100 miles in all but beginning with 36kms of dirt road.Took panniers off. Very beginning is across a river via a ford! Wobble there but made it. Slow but thorough progress on quite ok dirt ; another river ford, another panic but made it...hope no more. Weather cloudy and rain around; it would be impossible if it rains. About half way and I struggle on a steep bit but did not drop bike. Watching 4 wheel drives lurch along makes one worried! Clive, in front, stops suddenly because 4wd has stopped. I cannot then get going on steep bit and drop bike. Clive comes to help. After that bit all was okay and we made it. No more river fords. Finish our circle and back to hotel. Luckily it only rained on us after we reached the tarmac. Several brits arrive at hotel...most we have seen so far!
Fri Oct 22nd
Set off for Ouarzazate. This place has a supermarket called Dimitri which sells alcohol! Wine 45dms per bottle. We bought 4.! Did internet too. Fairly international place as it is famous as a film centre. Leave about midday for Tinerhir. Hotel Tombuctou where we stayed with Nick was too expensive and so we stayed at hotel Oasis. Too near centre of town and night was noisy. Tiler doing terrace appeared to work all night.!
Sat Oct 23rd.
Set off up Todra gorge. Spectacular...narrow and high. Tarmac for a while and then good dirt for 36 miles(58kms)then tarmac again We stop at Agoudal for a Berber omelette. Pass,on the dirt, was 2700m high. We leave the desert and palmeries behind. High on the plateau, lots of basic villages subsisting on the crops growing in the flat river valley surrounded by bare ,barren, but very scenic mts. Then we begin the descent and all changes to scrub and eventually small farmers producing cash crops of potatoes and apples. Always children, particularly in the Todra valley,where not all children seem to go to school in the small villages. Little boys can be slightly aggressive. We smile and wave as ever. 2 aggressive dogs, and another eating a dog, and the usual animals wandering everywhere. Missed where we intended to go and got to Auberge des Artistes in El Ksiba run by a French couple.
Sun Oct 24th
Breakfast and then packing up notice Clive`s bike has puncture in back wheel. Can`t find hole so wheel off and hotel owner takes Clive plus wheel off to garage. Eventually off via Khenifra to Ain Leuh to Azrou. Forested with open `meadows`. Farming with donkeys etc. River was pretty with rapids but money required to take walk up falls. Cedar woods near Azrou with Barbery apes....saw two but it was getting dusky. Small tarmac road all the way. Stay in scruffy hotel de Cedres.
Mon Oct 25th
Short way to Fes but we take secondary road via Ifrane, El Hajeb and then yellow rd to Fes. Arrive middayish. We had ridden through a farming area. Still mules doing the ploughing in some cases. Dark red soil with potato growing and red onions. Rows of what I at first thought were wall protected straw stacks with yellow plastic sheeting neatly tied to cover the top. Clive said he thought they looked like yellow caterpillars. They were long,thin rectangles. Then realised they were onion clamps. Thin rectangle of wall, onions neatly piled up inside with a neat roof of straw topped by the plastic sheet. They had just completed it all. Maybe some were potato clamps?
Stopped at Hotel Amor in the new town. Got lost in the medina!! Eventually found the restaurant we wanted ..rest Dar Jamai. Menu 130dhms. Owner also has guesthouse,Dar Masmoudi. Lovely riad,beautiful courtyard with good rooms for 800dms. Expensive...it would be a treat. Tasted PASTILLA. Must make it myself. Spice bought too...ras el-hanout.
Tues Oct 26th
Left Fes very successfully. Took an `in between` road to Chefchahoun; via Karia Ba Mohamed and Ourtzarh to Bab Taza on main road. It was infact tarmac all the way though full of hazards..pot holes etc. Fun to ride. Lake was low. Houses dotted everywhere,mules,mule riding,no carts,some tractors, fertile countryside though dreadfully dry now. Animals dotted everywhere ,grazing freely off the dead grasses and weeds. Donkeys, cows, sheep,mules and some goats.Saw a man on his hands and knees gutting a turkey by the roadside. Went through one town having its mkt day and we could hardly get through the throng of mules, people,trucks,vans and the odd taxi. Reminded me of India. So to Chefchahoun and the same hotel.
Wed Oct 27th
Bad nights sleep. Thin sheets so bit cold. Ramadan so people up all night,shouting,banging drums, playing a trumpet very badly on two notes,( I think there were two of them),then the clerics calling to prayer,then chickens crowing, and turkeys gobbling and cats calling....
We set off in cloudy, cool weather for the ferry from Ceuta to Algerciras. Had decided we would go to Gibralter. It was raining ! Did the siege tunnels in the rock. Constructed between 1783- 85 . Adapted at times since. Decided we would stay the night even though expensive. Stayed in Queens Hotel. Walked along Queensway Quay where Emma had been 2 years before.
Thurs Oct 28th
Did some shopping and bought SD cards as cheaper than UK. Left in pm to go and stay with Linda Bick in Castilla de Castellar. Rather basic spot as suspected. Two others there called Patrick and Belinda...from Australia and touring on a bike together.Linda seemed tired..we shopped for food,cooked and drank the wine we had brought.It poured with rain in the night...did not sleep well.
Friday Oct 29th
Woke quite late. Left after tea and photos! Set off for Portugal and Elvas. Went the most interesting way we could to Seville and northwards. Ended up in Elvas and just into Portugal. We had cold weather..down to 10c..and sunshine and showers. On the whole we were lucky re the rain. I was cold in summer clothing still! My fault.! Clive jealous about my text messages.!
Sat Oct 30th
Walked round town after breakfast to get Dad his crystallized plums...famous to here. Old town inside well preserved thick walls. Not spoilt. Set off towards Penela. Lunched in Ponte dei Sor and had surprising lunch of prawns and good dish of sguid.( Sea not so near!). Showers began to be more frequent ,still cold so we stopped south of Penela in Figerio de Vinhos in a guest house (35euros). Weather rainy but walked down road to restaurant.
Sun Oct 31st
Weather fairly horrible,cold misty and heavy rain showers. It has snowed in north Portugal. Set off in all the gear to see Clive`s plot. Rained heavily on and off. Mooched around and had moments ...saw river near here..then back to same hotel and relaxed.Sun came out more and weather currently looking better. Washed some clothing and dried some gear out! Then watched Titanic in english on the telly!
Mon Nov 1st
The sun is shining and a clear blue sky! Off to Penela to meet Sergio and Moriash the builder. I leave them and go to Figerio da Foz. Big beach, big port and spread about town. Not much to do...thought I would meet with Clive but waiting for 3 men who had been drinking was a waste of time so eventually went back to hotel. Clive came soon after,bit pissed,and bearing a small present of chocs and drink! That was nice...
Tues Nov 2nd.
Off via bank in Penela, plot and Coimbra for internet. Then road for Guarda before turning north. Weather dull and cloudy but no rain until half an hour before we stop. A few mules pulling carts and one or two donkeys. Birds of prey. People harvesting their olives by chopping off branches! Rural! Clive gets pissed off because his waterproof trousers leak. We stay in Torre da Montecorvo. On way to Zamora in Spain and Miranda da Doura on the border. Most expensive night 50 euros.
Wed Nov 3rd
Not raining but threatening. Late ish start and good road. Stop in Miranda. Clive has large bit of patisserie! Nice countyside and excellent road from Torre. More birds of prey. Some maize being harvested...seems very late.Take small roads cross country north of Valadolid; original mud built houses now in disrepair; very good and keep going towards Santander. No Picos...could snow! Stay in Carrion de los Camions.
Thurs Nov 4th
Has rained and not quite now as we set off on the last leg. Soon does though but on and off as we do the 150 miles or so. Pretty nevertheless. Shop a bit and ferry at 5pm. Grey and raining at times and 10c.
Friday Nov 5th
Ferry arrives 2 hours late but we push for home. Bit warmer than Portugal and not raining. Ferry was full of bikers, relatively speaking, and one mad person in particular who had crashed his bike in the middle of the desert in Algeria.
TRIP ROUND THE BALTIC
May24th 2005 (26250 on the speedo)
And so begins another motorcycle trip. Horrid damp, foggy. Cold weather and I am waiting in a petrol station just above Dover for Clive. He went to see his son near Windsor while I saw my children in London. He arrives, we get petrol, and down the hill we go to get our ferry. Its delayed..various number of reasons...the french and 2 broken berths, technical problems, the wind etc. We finally get to our booked Formula 1 in Calais by 11.45pm french time. Great start but `we made it`.
May25th Wed
Cloudy 15c. Set off about 9am. As per usual ,Clive`s autocom not working, something wrong with his mic. Together we have had nothing but trouble with our intercom system which we have had for just over a year, so this was nothing new. He can hear me but I cannot hear him. As we go past Sainsbury`s I shout down the intercom` box of wine`. We had nearly forgot. The 3 litre box of wine is a great way to carry wine on a motorcycle. That done off we go with all our first day thoughts. Neither of us bike to music, instead enjoy our own thoughts. After all the hard work of leaving all our affairs in order so that we can take this trip, it is relaxing to have the peace of the motorbike even though we were steaming along the motorway through France and then Belgium. My thoughts always begin with what I have left behind. Had I forgotten anything( yes,ringing Kay). Then to musing on the fact that, apart from Clive, I had not spoken to anyone even though I had spent a night in France and was now in Belgium. The anonymity of Formule 1. My bike was heavy but balanced but not sure how I had 3 full panniers when my clothes were in one. Also I had a tank bag, a bag across the back AND a rucksack. Its a bit big for what I had in mind. It has all my valuables in it. The idea being that I can just walk away from my bike with all my moSt Petersburgrecious belongings on my back. No fluffing around. That is the theory; in practice I have been fluffing around too much. Ear plugs, glasses, intercom, contact lenses etc. It will improve as we get into the flow.
Weather improves. In fact it ends up hot, quite a shock since we have had such cold weather at home. Put my digital camera on its new tank mounted bracket and take a photo of Clive at 80mph on the motorway. Its going to work.! Hope for some great photos. We both get fed up with the autocom. End the day at a campsite on the Rhine at Koln. Huge barges going by and friendly germans telling us where to camp. Sunny. Brilliant spot. 297miles
May 26th Thurs
Woke, having slept in the crack between our 2 single air mattresses, to the sun beating down on the tent. We went off into Koln to find an internet cafe. Clive spotted one brilliantly. Then ,following Gps we eventually found a BMW shop for help with our failed autocom. It was shut.! Then realised that it was a bank holiday. That would explain all the bikes on the road and the shut petrol station. Strange,...its a Thursday. By the time we finally got on the motorway to Berlin it was about 12.30 and we had gone nowhere far.
Clive had a mission to get to Berlin. It was quite far. 500 km said someone. In the event it was about 300 miles. We arrived at our campsite at 8pm. We had made rather pathetic progress with frequent stops. Going along at 80mph we should have done better. But it was hot and we were not acclimatized after such horrible weather in England. So we stopped for drinks etc.
We were also suffering from 3 day stiffness. By now we had ridden nearly 800 miles and my wrists, knees and elbows were suffering. I noticed Clive was twitching too. Legs out, standing up, arms shaking. I was twitching around. I put on another gadget of mine , a throttle rocker which helps rest your right hand on the accelerator. That helped my wrist . I stuck my legs out. Etc.Hopefully things will now adjust.
Motorways on motorbikes are not great. Boring. Nasty in rain. Started to notice that a lot of car transporters were heading our way. They were Polish and Lithuanian. In fact , amazed at the amount of trucks heading back home , full up with goodies from Germany perhaps. Mostly Polish and Lithuanian , and some Russian. Saw a few birds of prey including a kite .
Played around on the motorway with my new mount for my camera that allows me take a photo on the move. It really is for those moments when you drive by and wished you had taken a photo. It has been made by Wensum Enginneering of Norfolk to my design. Practicing!!!.
Stop at a campsite is by some lakes near Potsdam (Werder). It has bull frogs in it and lots of mosquitoes. Are the bull frogs going to keep us awake? We had a great meal by the lake serenaded by the bull frogs. miles 368
May 27th Friday
A day visiting Berlin. We begin by biking to a dealer to sort out our autocom system. But after 2 hours of going from dealer to dealer we have given up. Two of Clive’s wires are faulty. It is hot. We ride into Berlin in t-shirts. I map read us very successfully to Checkpoint Charlie where we leap off our bikes parked right beside it in the middle of the street. Take photos with aid of the 2 soldiers there and off we go again. Done. Next Brandenburg Gate. I lead with the map but detour because of roadworks. Clive gets fed up with this and seemingly knows better. The heat is getting to us and the bikes. The traffic is jammed and Clive hates filtering...he has metal panniers... Its 35c on my temp gauge which I have strapped to my windshield strut. See and photo the gate (unimpressive due to traffic and roadworks) and now all we want is shade and a nice cafe. Wander slowly but police stop us because I did not precisely follow the double arrow lane markings on the road! I think they just wanted a look/ see. Eventually spot somewhere. Germans all friendly.
Relaxed finally. Followed GPS route back to our campsite near Werder, stopping in the centre of Potsdam to do internet. Had difficulty finding one but did! Still very hot ...it is going to get hotter and is a heat wave. It was raining 3 days ago so we are sort of lucky. Another meal in the camp site restaurant by the water to the accompaniment of bull frogs after having had a swim in the lake.
May 28th Sat
Its my fathers birthday so send him a text. We wake after a noisy night from nature. When the bull frogs finally gave up, the dawn chorus started. 8am and 20c. We have not reckoned on this kind of hot weather. Clive has leathers and I have a heavy leather jacket. We prepared for the North Cape (of Norway)! We have waterproofs as well and are ready for all weather but ...this is hot.
Off we go after packing up under a cloudless sky. Heading due east we are soon in Poland. Still plenty of transporters carrying second hand and crashed cars east to Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, Russia; even on a Saturday. Main road dangerous with lorry tramlines and busy, but after a while we turn off and take secondary roads. Very green, lots of trees and cereal crops. Cars come by very fast and the road surface is variable. So much more modern than 10 years ago when I drove out in the car with my children.
There was a breeze today which helped us and the temp stayed around 30c. In the end we did 301 miles and camped at Torun, a nice old town by the river Wistula. We had a swim in some indoor pool...rather municipal. Then sat by the fast flowing river, having a drink. Tourism is beginning. Things are more expensive since my last visit but a beer by the river costi 1 euro. Went to eat in the old town in an old converted granary. Very interesting meal. I had meat with cranberry and mustard sauce.
May 29th Sunday
Clive wakes me at 6.30am. Too hot , sun on the tent, can`t sleep. So impatient...off he went while I slept some more. The tent was shaded again. Hot though and off we went at 9ish , already 25c.
On our side roads it was very pleasant rolling countryside with tree lined roads or forests. Woodland is extensive here. Many lakes too, dot the landscape. Farmland with cereals gives way to some sugarbeet land and then more pasture. Many cereal fields have admixture. As we near Lithuania there are more cows. See the odd storks in fields or standing on their high nests. A couple of buzzards too. I like looking at wildlife, trees, old buildings and people. Clive doesn`t seem to notice these things! He likes water. I am the photographer because I am always finding things to photo.
The roads have varying surfaces...from good and new to very patched and bumpy and some potholes. Lorries do not do the roads any good. One little road we went on bumped all the way to a tiny village where we realised we were lost. It made the residents day! I loved the sign `wypdakti` and 2 cars bumping. `wipe out`? Railway lines from unused tracks were bumpy to cross . The warning sign was a picture of a steam train. There were many unused tracks.
Stopped in Augustow in a hotel. Cost 130 zloty (32 euros). Food cheap at about £1.50 for a main dish. Miles 247
May 30th Mon
Set off 9.30am. Wonderful newly surfaced road to the border between Poland and Lithuania on secondary road. Lots of` lily of the valley` under the lovely hardwood trees of the dark forest that the road runs through. First notice wooden houses. Wanted registration documents on border otherwise fine. Immediate impressions...lots of grassland, no fences, wooden houses, single tethered animals (hobbled horses and cows tied by horns)scarcely dotting the grassland, man cultivating small field with a horse, small areas of cereals, strip farming, lady milking single cow in the middle of counrytside, lady hand hoeing a field beside a modern generating station. But an air of prosperity as roads good or being improved, new houses being built etc. We stop for a drink in a modern cafe with old fashion wooden hut containing the loos!
The modern is rubbing shoulders with the new. Tiny smallholdings subsist in old wooden buildings/houses surrounded by huge tracts of farmland being farmed by large businesses I guess. Little old ladies in traditional dress sitting on doorsteps or tending the holding. They mostly have electricity, whose pylons run all over the countryside. They like the colour yellow. Many wild lilac bushes as there were in Poland too. Secondary roads likely to be dirt but main roads better.
Weather cooler today, perfect for biking, until the afternoon when, as we near Latvia, it starts to rain a bit and gets colder. Cross Lithuania in about 6 hrs easily (about 220 miles) and enter Latvia. Stop about 12 hour later on our way to Riga. Hotel double room costs £30 (same as Lithuania). On whole seems to be about half the cost of UK. Miles 254
May31st Tues
Cloudy and about 14c. spitting with rain. See Riga on the Daugava river. A nice but unexciting place perhaps. It had NO road signs anywhere near the centre but we made the right choices and headed north along the coast. Latvia has lots of uncultivated, but previously cultivated, land, which now grows dandilions...lots of yellow acres. Trees in abundance. We left the main road to see a little inland and went to Limbazi. The road was graded dirt and pretty sandy in places which I found a bit tricky! Then some tarmac, some dirt, on to Salacgriva. Back to the coast and very shortly its the border and into Estonia. Latvia had been under 200 miles to cross. Its tourism was very fledgling ...for instance it was impossible/difficult to find a postcard. Not many hotels , or cafes.
We intended to stop short of Tallinn but in the end could not find good hotel and had to go on, now in the pouring rain. Hotels relatively expensive as we realise Estonia is much more into tourism. The scenery was not much to miss in the bad weather as it was forest most of the way, occasionally interspersed with grassland (unused) and some fields which were being farmed. Road very good . Traffic has got less as we head north and east. Now on a level with north of the Orkneys( or Stockholm!) Houses now remind me of Norway.
Miles 252
June 1st Wed
Rained all night. Set off in light rain for Tallinn. Did internet for a while , cafe etc . City modern and vibrant compared to others. Prices not far off UK. Then head for russian border and Narva. Intend to spend the night near the border ready for the next day. Weather disgusting; cold, 7c, and wet. Conditions not great; road surface changeable with roadworks. Amazingly found hotel (they are well signposted but not always suitable) that had swimming pool, sauna and jacuzzi! Same price as night before, about £45 but it does include breakfast! In communication with Sokolov who knows of our progress. Miles 152
2nd June Thurs
Dry but 10c. Leave at 9am, petrol to use up the kroons ( money), and then on to the border. 1 hour later and we are through. The border guards had been helpful and friendly. It was bureaucratic but not horrid.
Set off on bumpy main road. Lots of giant hogweed. Turn off on to secondary road and head for a huge bridge that will allow us to miss St Petersburg. Endless neglected fields growing dandelions. Somehow we miss the bridge and end up having to go through St Petersburg. Sokolov has given us directions to her country house, north of St Petersburg.
Without the GPS we would have had worse trouble than we did. No road signs, no road numbers. We did some loops! It was no better the other side really because names were in Cyrillic script and few road numbers. After an extra hour or two we got close, 5 mins away and finally phoned her! She has had built a smallish wooden house in what was forest .Now it has more houses around. About 150 miles.
3rd & 4th June Fri/Sat
Sokolov`s house was good. She drove us around the surrounding area and pointed out things we would never have worked out ourselves. Friday evening we went to St Petersburg to her flat. Very nice flat right in the middle, near a church sited on `bleeding feet` or something. Huge meter thick walls to her mansion. On Saturday she drove us to Pushkin to see Catherine the Great’s palace and another palace. Started to feel done with culture. We were also driven around town past lots of vast palaces and churches and czarist buildings of every kind. They were all beautifully painted on the outside. Inside might not contain all that which is original since many were looted and neglected.
Then back to the country in the evening to rejoin our bikes. Two `friends` of S`s came too. The weather remains unseasonally cold but at least the rain had held off.
Sokolov remains much the same and has worked hard on her two houses and should be proud of them. Russia has changed hugely in the last 5 years. Supermarkets, free enterprise etc. Police were corrupt and much bribery is common place in the society. We felt safe . Roads were bumpy and potholed mostly. Trams looked ancient. Rubbish being dumped in the countryside (no rubbish collection service). Fields uncultivated but there are signs of something happening. Lots of abandoned old communist buildings and ironwork.
5th june sun
The long day light hours meant that we had had some very late nights with Sokolov. Hence we made a late start off at about 11am. We were heading for Finland and the border crossing at Vyartsilya. It meant just following the A129. It was raining! It stopped for awhile but remained damp with wet roads. Forested! Wooden houses. Bumpy road that finally deteriorated to dirt after Priozersk. Wet dirt...it was quite good to start with but had an increasing number of rather wet bits. I took it steady but with 50 more miles ahead to the next town it was a daunting prospect. However it was Clive who came a cropper for some reason. He is more confident than I and more capable and his bike is better suited. I came round a bend and there he was! He was okay, bruised, covered in wet sand. His helmet was damaged. His pannier had come off and the lock broken. Damaged crash bar and broken cylinder protector. Poor Clive. However, and luckily, the dirt came to an end shortly after and in pouring rain we carried on to Sortavala. Passed by 3 American cyclists bicycling to Murmansk! They were not so young and looked exhausted in the rain and the wet dirt road can not have been easy. Arriving in Sortavala, we burst into a cafe in all our wet clothes, where amazingly we found a Moroccan who lived in Finland and who spoke English (and Arabic).! He led us to an hotel. We were wet and dirty. Miles 170
6th June Mon
Dried out, we spent our last roubles on cheap petrol and headed for the Finnish border. Late start and we got there about 11am. Russian side was tedious repetitive paper work. Seemed strange they wouldn`t let us go quicker. Finns were quicker but considering we were EU citizens entering the EU it was bureaucratic.
Clive then seemed to have a mission to reach the North cape of Norway that day. On and on we went through repetitive forested countryside. Neater, tidier, better roads than Russia. People speak English well. Petrol same as UK. Finding an hotel or somewhere to stay was a nightmare. Very expensive. Weather had deteriorated to heavy showers so in sometimes pouring rain we drove all around Sotkamo and then finally went to Kajaani. Hotel cost 65 euros for the room. Miles 270 plus from the going round in circles! Did try a `hut` but they wanted 60 euros for that.
Clive `s side ache already getting better from his fall. One pannier having to be strapped on.
7th june Tuesday
Sun shone as we packed our bikes but it was still cloudy and grey and only 10c. This day reminded me of our world trip for it was now very similar countryside to the Yukon and Alaska etc. We are nearly 66 degrees latitude north! Forest still growing strongly though. Good road gently curving with many short straights. Occasionally see a Finnish person striding along with 2 ski sticks as though out touring on skis. Came to the conclusion that they could not cope without their skis and had to pretend they were skiing! Old people walk around with 2 ski sticks too. We see some reindeer and one Elk that Clive cleverly spotted. We reach Lappland and I wonder where it is that Santa Claus `hangs out`, little knowing that we are heading right for the spot! Temp falls to 8c; it drizzles from time to time and I wonder if I am going to be warm enough at the North cape in 2 days time. I have my heated handle bar grips on and my heated waistcoat now. We are whizzing along these empty roads doing about 70mph. I notice one or two strange birds...must look them up. We stop about every hour for a drink . Without further ado we arrive in Rovaniemi and straight away find a fine hotel...makes up for last night.! Then discover Santa Claus is 6km further north on the Arctic circle. We will check it out tomorrow! Realise we are a long way north and wonder how far north Anchorage is.
Most Finns speak wonderful English and this town is modern and vibrant. Miles 222
8th June Wed
Set off to take photo of our bikes on the Arctic circle opposite Santa land! Clive behaves badly. No more to be said ! Head for Inari. Fairly uneventful, but following a strongly flowing rive ,we reach Kittila. At this point I want to take one route and Clive another...so we do and arrange to meet where the road joins. Mine was expected to be dirt and Clive`s not . Mine became dirt for 30 miles and Clive`s for 38 miles! We ended up meeting at the same time, and on we went. Wooden houses painted maroon continue to dot the landscape and I wonder what on earth they all do in the winter and what job they might have. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember the long winter as these houses stand in idyllic locations as long as the weather is warm...by a lake, overlooking a river etc.
Several reindeer on the road but no more dirt road. Notice that the silver birch are only in bud; further south they are out. No petrol stations and I am running out of petrol. However because Clive is with me I am resigned to running out. In the event my bike does 60 miles on the red light and reaches a petrol station in Inari ! Having looked at one of two hotels (82 euros) we stay in a `hut.`(42 euros). I cook some kind of a meal ! Whilst out walking by the river in full spate with snow melt, I see 2 golden plovers. Midnight light is with us. Still light at way past 11pm. Miles 236
9th June Thurs
Head onwards further north. Snow lies in old drifts by the road. Trees are mostly shorter but it is sometimes hard to imagine how far north we are. Reindeer wander across the road, very ungainly out of the snow. Some have pink antlers! Soon come to the border with Norway. We need to change money. Not stopped at the border, no shops, no petrol, nothing. We are in Norway just like that. Go to bank in the first town. A lot of people speaking a strange language. Lapp? Sami ?
The last couple of days we have seen quite a lot of bikes heading the other way. Appear to be Germans or Dutch but not Brits. Have not seen any British vehicles or bikes, bar 2 camper vans last night, during the whole trip so far.
The landscape changes with snow clad mountains to either side. Finland gently rolled but now we have more bends (nice for motorbikes) and rockier terrain. Reindeer still pop out on the road. North we go; until we stop short of the Nord kapp at Olderfjord. Our plan is to stay here 2 nights and do a there and back to the Nord Kapp tomorrow. We have already found out it is going to be expensive. Norway IS expensive. Hotels are out so we are in a hut again and this one costs 490 krone per night.( about £40). This hut has cooking facilities and a bathroom and could sleep 4 (quite squashed !)
Got there early, relaxed and then had a walk in the hills. Saw 2 Irish bikers and had a chat. They are staying here too. Miles 177
10th June Friday
Still cloudy weather and still 10c. Off to the Nord Kapp. 84 miles to go. Dress up for the weather as we have for the last few days. I bought an extra fleece in Finland and so my layers are; 2 long sleeved fleece tops, my heated waistcoat(done up but not switched on),waterproof jacket and finally my heavy leather jacket. On legs have my leather jeans with some cordura trousers on top. It takes time to get dressed!
On the way we see reindeer dotted everywhere just like sheep in Scotland. Trees die out about 20 kms north of here (Olderfjord). Very scenic as the road follows the sea. More and more bits of snow beside the road. Amazing tunnel that connects the Nord kapp. Costs 68k for one motorbike one way and plunges downward under the sea to 212 metres below sealevel.
The Nord kapp is bleak and cold, 5c for us today. The centre costs 190k per person, a rip off price . Naturally everything else is as expensive. Shame. Still the major goal of motorbiking here has been achieved and we take all relevant photos.
Several bikes are making their way there as we leave. No Brits on bikes seen yet.
Go into Honningsvag on the way back. It was rebuilt in original style after the war. Huge cruise ship in the harbour and all the people on board being bused up to the Nord kapp!
Make our way back to our hut for a second night in Olderfjord. Saw a large eagle , golden or sea, some puffins, eider duck, and other seabirds and lots of baby reindeer! Stay up till midnight and take photos on the beach of the partially hidden midnight sun. It is perfectly light. Miles 172
11th June Sat
The weather is better, brighter and 12c. In the petrol station down the road we meet the first English on bikes we have seen. They are on their way up.
The scenery is lovely, Clive says magnificent. Wonderful quiet fjords. Lots of snow covered mountains ,tumbling down to the sea. Snow is at about 200m above sea level. Trees only growing up to about 300m above sea level. All reminders of how far north we are. But the weather improves and the rivers are becoming real rushing torrents from the melting snow. Many streams are cascading down the hillsides and there are some great waterfalls. We go past Kafjord where the Tirpitz was sunk as it hid from the allies during the war. A few reindeer are seen. There has been more snow this year than lately and it has been a cold summer so far. We notice lots of people fishing and find out later that someone has sabotaged a fish farm and thousands of farmed salmon are on the loose! Catches of 11 salmon have been had. We did notice children fishing too!
We keep going. Clive wants to get to Nordkjosbotn because the Irish say its a good spot. We see them on the road as they are travelling this way as well. They came up this way too, hence the knowledge. We do get there, 293 miles. A long day. We get a hut for the night. 280k for the cheapest. Have a drink with the two Irish. That was difficult….supermarkets stop selling beer at 6pm and wine can only be bought in wine monoply shops which keep shop hours. So Saturday night and its difficult to find a drink!
Clive rode off to get a midnight sun picture 6km down the road. I could not be bothered having stayed up the night before. He succeeded.
12th June Sunday
Beautiful morning, clear sky. We were indecisive about whether to go on a day trip to Tromso. Also wanted to change our ferry ticket as we are ahead of our schedule and could catch an earlier ferry. Ferry offices shut on Sundays. In the end decide to give Tromso a miss and set off around midday on our route south. Lovely road weather and scenery. We stop and do the oil change on my bike (30330 miles). Its hot! 23c! Time for less clothes on. Head on past Narvik . Snow clad mountains still with us. Bright green grass and trees and the blue sea. Main road has a few tunnels and a ferry which takes 25 mins. We happened to get the timing right and only had to wait a few mins before it arrived. Lucky, as it only goes every 1.5 hrs. Stopped very shortly after at Ulvsvag. Not very good spot. Slack people running it, but right beside the sea and good view( as ever). Miles 195
13th June Monday
Another lovely morning. We set off earlier than usual ,9am, because we are not sure which ferry home from Bergen that we are catching. Later on in the morning we stop in Fauske and phone the ferry company. We change our booking at a certain cost! We have taken less time than we thought we would.
We lunched by a lovely rushing river little knowing what was round the corner. It was warm and very pleasant. Dressed for 23c we had had some cool moments in the morning going through some of Norway’s tunnels. If they are not concrete lined they are very cold. A long tunnel means ...cold. But you come out of the entrance and get a nice warm feeling from the outside air. Worth the cold??
After lunch we set off again, past a couple of reindeer and then round the corner of the climbing road on to a snow field. Snow was lying at 400+ metres and we went up to 700m on the Saltjellet. Right at the top was where the road goes through the Arctic circle. All snow covered ,the temp had dropped by 10c; couldn`t wait to get back down to sea level!
In the afternoon we climbed more passes and went through more tunnels. After Mo i Rana there was definately a feeling of being back in civilization. The railway is now beside the road. It only runs as far north as Boda, just inside the Arctic circle. Finally stop just short of Mosjoen, near Straum. Miles 264.
14th June Tuesday
In spite of some evening rain last night, we woke to a dry day. It was cloudy but after setting off we realised that we were heading for better weather. 3 hrs later we were in bright sunshine.
Gradually the road is becoming more busy as we get further south. Less interesting too . Still snow clad mountains to either side but even that is coming to an end. Still very beautiful countryside nevertheless.
Buy food for picnicking and evening meal. Due to the expense we have been cooking in our huts with the minimum of tools. Sometimes we have had to borrow a saucepan and plates! We have one pan with us for tea making. We should have brought some plates!
We stop for the night very near Trondheim at Malvic. Big site ,we opt for camping as the weather seems dry and warm enough. Very windy though. Cook our meal this time in the camp kitchen. No plates! Been introducing Clive to fish cakes, pudding and balls and smoked cod. All served with boiled potatoes and tinned peas. Miles 264
15th June Wed
Dry and okay, we go into Trondheim and` do` internet and wine. We have failed the last 2 days to go to a `vinmonoplet`....the only place you can buy wine. Only during shop hours. Beer can be bought in supermarkets but they shut about 6 or 7pm. After that its a` pub` at £7 a glass. Can of beer in supermarket is £3. Wine in the store is £7.
Off we go and head on secondary road for Roros. Stop for lunch by some dramatic waterfalls on the river Eidet.
We then follow the Glomma valley.Some very old farmhouses and buildings...very unspoilt for a bit. Sadly modernising the road in parts. Stop at `Tynset camping and motel` and take a very nice hut for the night. Checked out hotel price ...900k for a double room (3*). In the children`s play area there was a little grey fergie! No TEA 388904.
Miles 150
16th June Thurs
Weather okay! Going to the Jotunheim. Fail to find a white road short cut. It would probably have been dirt. Anyway had to go the long way round. Very black looking clouds hanging over the mountains. Today is a day for heights. We go up to 1000 meters twice before the afternoon. Cold when high but stays dry if damp. See a few reindeer. Try road to Glitterheim but after half an hour we stop. Its a dirt road that has had no recent traffic; we are heading into a very bleak looking area and probably into cloud so that we are not getting much view ..if at all. Its about 1300 meters high where we are already. Take photos and turn round. Back on tarmac we head on south over the Jotunheim. It climbs up to 1400 meters. 2 meter high snow beside the road in places and dense fog once above 1200m! Have trouble with seeing through visor so lift it up. Clive has worse problems because he has glasses which mist up too! Its 3c ! Down the other side and end up in Beitostolen which is a winter ski touring centre and has 5 ski lifts. Find a very good hut with everything including shower/loo. It is only 880m high here. Miles 200.
17th June Fri
Its drizzling in a `we are in low cloud` sort of way. It got better for a while but as we climbed for the Fillefjell pass of 1013m it started to rain properly. It also got colder and the snow was present!. A bit bleak; we could not see much and had to concentrate on the road. Today the tunnels were nice things for they were dry and no colder! After the cold pass we started going through some long tunnels interspersed with views of some great water cascades. The longest tunnel was 24.5 kilometers and there was another of 15, which seemed to go straight downhill.
Weather cleared mostly as we came down to a lower level. In Voss we had hoped to stay but it was full due to an under 13 football contest. We had to back track to Tvinde which had an amazing waterfall by the huts. Later our 2 Irish arrived! They are now booked on the same ferry tomorrow. Seems we can`t lose them! Miles 169.
18th June Sat
Relaxed departure to Bergen in dryish weather. Dull ride with traffic and watching police. Had a little walk around Bergen, bought some salmon, ate soft ice (at least Clive did) etc. Miles 74 . Met up with the Irish again before boarding the boat.
19th June Sunday
Have good lie in ,in our cabin, enjoying the luxury of clean sheets and no sleeping bag. Had good dance last night to the ships band which was good. Sit around trying not to spend money! We arrive in Newcastle at 6pm, boat time.
Through the Tyne tunnel and its raining....thunderstorm. Into waterproofs and swelter because its warm. It buckets down with hailstones as well. We go for a couple of hours before outrunning the storms as we head southeast. Quick stop and on before rain catches us up. Its warm! 5.5hrs from Newcastle with a stop. Miles 250 . An eventful end in these heavy downpours! Made it. Total 5,580 miles
.
33250 miles on the clock
Round the Med. 2005
7th Oct Friday
Had gone to London the night before to stay with my children. Today I had an important mission...to collect our passports from the Syrian Embassy. No passports , no hols. We had had to get visas. Got them and set off to Dover to meet Clive and catch ferry. Weather good for Oct, dry and 18c. Ferry at 1.45pm and then we head for Belgium and stay the night in a formule 1 near Charleroi.
8th Oct Saturday
Foggy morning but dry and not too cold for this time of the year! In fact I think we are very lucky with the weather. Off at 8.15am after brewing up a cup of tea on our camping gas stove in our formule 1 room. `That`s very`` sad`` says Emma` .
A boring day making miles on motorways. Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. Heading for Austria. We do 440 miles, ending up near Meningheim? Some road works held us up as lanes too narrow to filter through the traffic jam. Slowly beginning to realise I am on holiday. Petrol in Luxembourg cheap, Germany same as us.
9th Oct Sunday
Beautiful morning. We leave after breakfast at 9.15am, heading for Austria ( country no. 5) and Innsbruck. Slow going as we do not use motorway(big fee says Clive). Nice road but loads of traffic. It is a Sunday and good weather so many drivers and motorcyclists out and about. Nice to do some bends when not behind something. Austria very pretty; green and full of flowers. We get on and over the Brenner pass to Italy (no 6). Down the Italian side on motorway and heading for Venice. We spend 2 hrs in jams looking for an hotel near Venice. About 40kms inland. Finally strike lucky. Nevertheless room costs 55 euros a night. Good food. Miles 329.
10th Oct Monday
Take taxi(10€) to the station at Castelfranca to catch train (6€ return) to Venice. Good weather. We have a good day wandering around. Had not imagined how busy the main waterways would be i.e. water fire engines,police,builders,taxis,waterbuses etc, apart from gondolas. Also the buildings were in better shape than I thought they would be. Obviously did not see all. Felt Gina would love it. Wonderful masks on sale and venetian glass etc. Miles nil! Staying second night in hotel. Good modern Italian food.
11th Oct Tuesday
Bought picnic and off to port of Venice to catch the ferry. Took a remarkably long time to get there..lots of traffic. Caught boat( straight on in fact). Minoan line. Very good view of Venice as you leave the harbour; very pretty and interesting. Good weather.Miles 37.
12th Oct Wednesday
Arrived in Igoumenista at 11.45am. Straight off on to a motorway that was not there 3 years ago. I was fed up taking the motorway ,preferring the main road and the nice (for bikes) bendy road. Luckily the motorway was not finished and so I became a lot happier on the nicely curving and much more interesting road. Yes, it took longer but we were up to schedule. Clive would have used more motorway if he could have done. In the end we reached Veria..further on than we thought. Miles 236.
13th Oct Thursday
Left at 9.30am after getting some more contact lenses and internet cafe.
Coldish, about 12c but going to be a sunny day. Veria is just on the edge of the plain, so it was down to the plain and the motorway, as any road was going to be straightish. Bypassed Thessalonika, filthy looking . Fertile plain growing cotton and veg but lots of orchards too. Cotton grown all the way along to Kavala and beyond. Otherwise countryside where less fertile looked brown. Brown grass ,brown crops, brown earth . Untidy and rubbish. Pollution perhaps causing the haze. Quite a lot of little stubble fiires. Nearly empty motorway and we make good progress. Find the hotel in Kavala that we stayed when going round the world.! Had lunch and then on towards Turkey. Border took a while but no problem. Cost 30€ each for insurance and a so called visa. Road surface now less good and the driving(from others) becoming more erratic!. Stop in Tekirdag. Miles 352.
14th Oct Friday
Off at 9am. After breakfast. Sunny and 11c. 2 hours to Istanbul via motorway. Built up, industrial etc. We continue on fairly empty motorway towards Ankara, trying to cover some miles in this not such great corner of Turkey. Gradually the scenery becomes more interesting and reminds me of the USA because of its `bigness`. Big wide valleys and large looking hills with some rocky outcrops, small trees dotting the landscape and generally a brown look. The large 3 lane (6 lanes both ways)motorway could have been USA but for the Turkish trucks. Smallish, brightly coloured and overloaded , they belch black diesel smoke and crawl very slowly up hills. We went up a long hill up an escarpment just before Bolu. We encountered the first rain of the trip here and it was foggy too. The moment we were at the top the weather improved and we did not have much rain after that.
Got to Golbasi, just south of Ankara.Ankara was surrounded by masses of new housing, blocks of flats and houses, all standing empty in various states of being finished but no builders to be seen.
Had difficulty finding an hotel. One expensive and one a dormitory type with filthy used sheets! Ate cheaply and went back to the expensive one. Miles 416
15th Oct Saturday
Began quite late, 9.45am considering Clive wanted to get on! We had 200 miles to go before before seeing the underground cities in Cappodocia. We seem to be highish. Rolling hills, open farmland. No trees for miles. Farmers must all live in the villages as no single settlements. Farmers on small Massey Ferguson tractors (no cabs) with small trailers( just like our wooden ones we are trying to sell). Itinerant workers hand harvesting potatoes and sugar beet. Sugarbeet being harvested as we did in Norfolk in the fifties. Hand labour, beet in heaps, into small trailer, and then into small lorry. But beet growing nothing compared with the cereal acres. Patchwork quilt of stubble fields for mile upon mile.
Saw a large bird of prey.
Constant road building. Making all main roads dual carriageway, it seems. Roads not very busy!
The rolling hills remind me of USA still and Clive of Kwazulu Natal in south Africa. Huge views, big valleys. Big geological features, especially the soft weathered sandstone in Cappodocia with its fissured rock and volcanic plugs.
We visit Derinkuyu underground city. 8 layers of rooms etc begun in the Hittite period, 3000 years ago. Nicely low key tourism. See lots of volcanic plugs with `houses` dug out in them, especially round Goreme.
Turkish people all very friendly . Not seen big motorbikes very often. Its not that cheap and petrol is the most expensive in Europe....£1.12 per litre. It is eating into our finances.
Head on for 3 more hours( one in the dark) till we reach Pinarbasi. Find hotel (the one and only). Basic.
We are 1500 meters up. Weather has been cool (10-20c) all day. Had one heavy shower. Miles 337
16th Oct Sunday
Began cold 10c, and up high 1590m. Hotel had been a bit noisy. Rain began on and off as we stayed high with one pass of 1890m. Became more as I had imagined Turkey. More rocky outcrops and pretty valleys. Still lots of farming for cash. Houses look different...realise its the tin roofs that have replaced the red tile roofs. A few horse and carts and donkeys but mainly tractors. Gradually more small motorbikes with side `trailers` for carrying things. Saw one lot of nomads up on the side of a hill side, camped with their horses. Definitely the prettiest part of Turkey yet seen. Got fed up with Clive who just seems to want to tear through the country on motorways, not pausing to look at anything. Before he took off on motorway we ate some great Turkish snacks. Then Clive choose motorway instead of the main road. I went through Gaziantep`s middle instead of by passing it which was much better. Found Clive later as we neared the Syrian border.Border no problem. Then instead of secondary road Clive heads down a horrible busy main road with quite wild traffic to Aleppo. In the end we go into the centre of Aleppo looking for an hotel. I think Clive thought he would get something on the outskirts, all modern. So here we are in Aleppo. It warmed up as we came down from the hills and now in the 20`s c. Hottest yet!. Miles 265. It rained in the evening....the first time this year! Its warm though!
17th Oct Monday
After disagreeing with Clive yesterday he comes round to the fact that I am not driving through Syria without looking at something. So off to the Aleppo citadel, the largest in the world! Its on a hill overlooking the whole huge city. Usual mayhem in the poorer streets. Weather now very pleasant. Then motorway to Damascus.
The motorway was really a duel carriageway. Mostly overloaded trucks belching out black diesel smoke. A few fast cars. Tractors and mopeds on the hard shoulder, people wandering and traffic sometimes coming the wrong way towards you on the hard shoulder or even on the fast lane side. Interesting! Weather a pleasant 20c. Outran some black clouds and reached Damascus. Big city. Miles 235.
18th Oct Tuesday
Damascus was disappointing for me for we never waked around/found the old city. We did other things though...internet, ate etc.
Off to the border and Jordan. Clive still bent on motorway even though there is a good road. I do not know what has got into him. Rubbish , nomads, herdsmen and their sheep, farming and stony desert. Temp around 20c but rising. Hills to our right and somewhere in the haze are the Golan Heights.
Border is okay. Insurance guy took his time and the whole thing cost £25 each. That was all my Jordan money I had with us. Off to the first town and ATM and some food and drink. Ramadam means we have to eat inside. Our bikes catch the attention of local students.
Jordan seems tidier and less full of rubbish than Syria. More organised. We get round Amman and down to the Dead Sea. Two beaches are marked on the map and we pass the first and head to the second one...only we never find it. There went my swim in the Dead sea. It is very lovely with the hills of Israel on one side and the rocky hillside on ours. Totally calm sea but on land we have numerous soldier checkpoints. All have machine guns on armoured vehicles, but all fine. Lots of Berber at the end of the sea ..tents and sheep etc. We then plunge up into the hills climbing from below sealevel up to a fortified town for the night at 1000 odd meters. Our room in a cheap hotel has the most fantastic view of the way we had just come including the Dead Sea in the far distance. Miles 233.
19th Oct wed
Too much food the night before. Cost was £13 without wine. We provided our own bottle. Jordan is not as cheap as Syria but much cheaper than back home. Petrol about 40p per litre. Prices varied and sometimes we were luckier than others. Hotel was £17 for the night.
Dressed for 20c at 1000m but soon got cold as we went higher up in a biting wind. Then down then up! We were in the mountains and on high plateaux. 2 hours and we reached Petra: luckily only at 900m. We did the sightseeing thing. Price to go in was £18 each. This allows you to walk down to the gorge and through the narrow and spectacular gorge and view the tombs carved in the rock. In all they say 5 k long. It was the perfect season to go ,weather pleasant and not too many other tourists. Horses with small carriages, horses and donkeys were available to carry you where you wanted...all at a price. We negotiated a carriage some of the way back ( having walked down) and I rode a horse the last bit ( cost £1). Then back on bikes to ride to Aqaba. Desert mountains and more cold before descending all the way down to the sea. Good scenery. Found good hotel . Miles 183.
20th Oct Thursday
Ferry apparently leaving at 11am to Nuweiba so off we go to the port at 9ish. Clive not feeling tiptop. Exiting Jordan is lengthy and combined with getting tickets for the ferry. Meet couple from South Africa in their landcruiser. We all help each other. Ferry is a fast speed boat. Looks a bit like a torpedo. Works well and we whizz down the gulf of Aqaba. Arrive 1.30pm and don`t get through border formalities till 5.30pm; and about £50 the poorer. Terrible bureaucracy. Ourselves and the land cruiser couple (Carla and Andreas) ( website travelongravel.tk) go different ways at the system but 4 hours later we are all round the same window worried that all will shut before we are done. Ramadam prayers and eating were about to get in the way. Got the papers, off to the final gate and they say wait till after(evening breakfast)...at this Clive let rip in Arabic for us all and we were finally on our way.Clive was still feeling a bit fragile. Its then dusk as we head for Dahab only 65k down the road. Rocky mts silhouetted against the sky looked great as we sped on through the warm evening. Clive`s son in Dahab did not know which day we were arriving...He had gone for a camel ride but came back at 9pm when we met up. Miles 56
21st,22nd,23rd Oct Fri-sun
We relaxed in Dahab for these 3 days. Intended 2 days but now waiting for the right news from Libya i.e. that they can meet us on a certain day. We are now aiming for 27th but doubt it will be possible for them. Awaiting a phone call from Abdusalam of Sukra travel.
In the meantime we have swum, windsurfed and I had a dive on a coral reef. Masses of fish and colours. It was nice and good to have a proper dive after so long. Its generally windy in the mornings and dies off during the day. Burning sun and we do a lot of sitting in the shade . Robert was around and good to see him with Clive.
24th Oct Mon.
It seems Libya now 28th so we leave Dahab. Fill up with petrol..it costs 10p a litre! 90 octane though .Rocky majestic mts. 30c and off back north through majestic mts. Dry. Nothing green at all. We turn in land and head for the tunnel at the bottom of the Suez canal. Up on to the plateau at about 500m. Temp is good . Road is good unless broken by the flash floods . It is so hard to imagine rain here but the evidence is all around. The wadis that have been created, the damaged road the sculpturing of the desert. The desert mts flatten out. Wild camels, odd donkeys, a few goats and amazingly, people scratching a living from what?. There is hardly a bush in some places! Couple of dead camel by the road, lots of bits of tyres,only 2 cars pass us and the tiny amount of traffic is trucks.
Stop for lunch right in the middle of the Sinai peninsular. Some Americans in a minibus stop. Very unfriendly and the girls probably do not like the squat loos..especially one of them in high heels. We leave and continue across a very barren desert plain, then hills and down to the tunnel under the Suez canal. Suez outskirts very mucky. We head south down beside this gulf. At first mucky,then scenic then flat. Stop in very grand looking hotel at Zafarane. We seem to be the only guests. 350 Egyptian pounds(£35) for room and evening meal and breakfast. All looks good but not everything works! Miles 368
25th Oct Tuesday
Solo breakfast as the only guests in this 220 bedroom hotel, before setting off across the Eastern Arabian desert. Temp about 25c., pleasant. No Bedouin as far as I could see...no animals. Tyre remnants litter the roadside, as do odd piles of bricks and sometimes diesel spills. The road is straight . Soon find out the mystery of the bricks when we come across a truck with its trailer on its side and its load of bricks strewn across the road. A few men were scurrying around in bare feet chucking the bricks to the side of the road. Puncture in 2 tyres caused the trailer to leave the tarmac and lean over enough to shift the load and over goes the trailer. Quite big trailer...these trucks are not small. So problem solved...worn out tyres on too many trucks.
160 kms across the desert and then we hit the Nile valley. Tooting traffic and crazy drivers as we head for Cairo. Much filthier than I would have imagined. Nearly as bad as India but minus the cows and bicycles and mopeds. Cairo full of tooting cars but nowhere near as bad as had been suggested. Find our hotel in downtown Cairo. Very basic and Clive not enamoured but very friendly staff. Miles 175
26th Oct wed
Our pyramid day. We take a taxi there. Very difficult to not get picked up by `friendly` Egyptians. One manages the taxi ride with us and then tries to sell camel rides and horse rides round the pyramids. We manage to finally rid ourselves of him. Not too hot and we `do` the pyramids. Manage without guide and fend off postcard,camel ride and lucky charm sellers. Taxi back to the Hilton for some lunch. Taxi ride costs £2.50 max. Things are cheap.! Hilton because in Ramadam can only eat in tourist or traveller places. Still costs £8.
The traffic in Cairo is less bad than I had been led to believe. Its noisy and very busy but no mopeds or cycles to speak of. No lane discipline at all and a great deal of weaving. Cars pass each other very close. The scariest bit is people crossing the road. Traffic lights are not particularly obeyed. So people cannot cross there with safety so they cross anywhere. You get people crossing in the middle of a fast moving 5 lane one way road and huge roundabouts. They really are dicing with death. Cars bear down on them. Decisive action is required...no hesitating!.
27th Oct Thursday
Exit Cairo before 9am. Not that hot, 25c. We have fairly boring ride to Libyan border today. Its all duel carriage way. We leave the fertile,green,polluted Nile delta and it becomes built upon desert. Obviously land has been sold in parcels. Many Arabs build their grand gateways first and then the compound walls and then maybe the house. Obviously water has been piped here. Saw some strange cigar shaped buildings. Generally in pairs but could be one or two,three,or four. Near houses; sometimes joined to the house and sitting on the roof and once part of but more usually further away. Sometimes painted. They had lots of small holes in them all around and sticks sticking out, and a door in the bottom. Not ovens but maybe bird cotes?
Later its plain desert. The Bedouins have rather given up their tents for concrete boxes. Tiny concrete houses dot the desert with their flocks of sheep and goats. We stop in Mersa Matrout for v.late lunch. Setting off at 3.30pm again we have 2 hours of day light and 210kms. Its a boring ride with desert, a few dogs and the Bedou `bunkers` to look at. Road is empty and good. We arrive in El Sallum. Its a real border town! After dark its full of wild looking people. Boys throw things at our backs...not malicious, more in fun. We have to go down town to find a fax machine so that Abdusalam can fax us the visas for tomorrow. Its very dirty in the streets and poor little donkey carts vie with the Toyota pick ups. Our hotel looks good but no hot water in the shower and they do not provide loo paper. We both have slightly upset stomachs so we buy paper in town too! Miles 430? Our longest day.
Egypt has been great. Amazed at lots of new buildings i.e. houses ; just as in Turkey. Also all the duelled roads. Thought there would be lots of bicycles but there are few: also hardly any mopeds. Lots of pick ups, 30 year old taxis. Everyone friendly. Still plenty of donkeys and poor , but more affluence than I might have thought. But I have not seen the south....another trip.
28th Oct Friday
We got the visa faxed to us. As it happened no one looked at the piece of paper nor did we get a visa in our passports. Just a stamp. Our guide and a driver were there to meet us as planned. It took 2.5 hours to get through the borders. We then set off for Tobruq behind the car. Clive not happy following!
Flat desert. Funny to think my father had been here 63 years ago. Rubbish ,lots of plastic and other rubbish. The rusting shells of cars and other rusting metal litter the desert landscape. Some new buildings going up. Brand new petrol stations too. Petrol about 7p per litre. We have no Libyan money. No banks . Our guide pays for us for the moment. Hills (escarpment) to the right. We are on a flat plateau . Tobruq is big and so is Derna. It is after Derna that the countryside changes and it becomes more like Sardinia; dry, small bushes and rocky. Where there is water it is green. Absence of donkey carts, but plenty of shepherds with their flocks, seemingly eating the rubbish by the roadside.
We end up in Sharat near old Cyrena which we are going to sight see in the morning. It got cold towards the end especially 600m up where we are staying the night in the ` Cyrene resort`. Restaurant in a cave. Miles 272
29th Oct Saturday
Hotel was good and clean.
We had arranged with the driver Akmed to set off to see Cyrene ruins at 9am. I write this as we sit and wait. Its now nearly 9.30am. He wants to get to our destination before 5ish so he can pray but with his own delay...? We have 375kms to do plus the sight seeing. Finally Adel Aun turns up and off we go. Akmed is round the corner! Cyrene city is a massive amount of old ruins. You can walk all over mosaic pavements ! The temple of Zeus was good. The town of Shahat seems to be on top of some of the ruins and have 1000,s year old statues in their `gardens`!
off late morning to get to Ajdabiya, 250 miles. We are in the jebel (mountains) for most of the way to Benghazi. The countryside is like Italy or Sardinia. Dry and full of small shrubs. The difference is 1. Rubbish everywhere,2. Wild cows wander by the road side, 3. Skeletons of cars/buses litter the land. Clive has a theory on the rubbish...it is chucked by the road then goats,sheep, cows etc eat what they can. Finally only plastic is left , which blows around the whole countryside.
The road is not too bad . The major hazard is `white car driver` that speeds along very fast..most notable when overtaking us very close. Our driver is out in front with Clive following and then me. Driver is a bit erratic. It is still Ramadam and he maybe tired from getting up early to eat before dawn. Then no food all day. Then they stay up late at night...
Benghazi is big but we whizz through. Jebel gives way to flat desert again by the coast. Get stopped in police checks now and then. Suddenly our driver in his black car leaves the road and crashes dramatically. His car careers down an embankment and then up and takes off over a steep bank. Cloud of dust but car remains upright. Driver alright and gets out. Lots of Arabs all stop and rush over to help/see. We are relieved no debris hit us. Akmed is whisked off in a bus that stopped,to hospital, before we know what, leaving us stranded on the road without a driver. So we go to the next town which turns out to be our destination,Ajdabiya. Find hospital and Akmed. He is shocked and cannot tell us where we were to meet the next driver. We find an hotel and amazingly later the next driver finds us by asking in the town who had seen us! Hotel we found is quite hostel like! Miles 250.
30th Oct Sunday
Sunny after yesterdays cloud and off to see the` largest man made tank in the world`. Gadaffi has piped water from two wadis in the desert 400miles away to the coast for use in agriculture. More is planned. Very controversial for many reasons. We find the large reservoir(probably bigger ones in England!) in the middle of the desert in full sun( evaporation!). We are especially allowed in and shown around. They are very proud of it. It is virtually all gravity flow. There are fish in it.
Back to Ajdabiya and then onwards to Sirte behind our new driver who is in a Mercedes van. He is more steady than the other. His name is Abdul- Hakim. It is a long boring desert road and we have a long way to go.
The rubbish outside Ajdabiya was terrible and rubbish continues to spoil the desert countryside. However camels are nice to look at and we see plenty roaming wild but branded. We see many in transit too, in trucks; they sit and hold their heads up lifting them higher if the lorry slows down. They appear to enjoy the ride.
Police checkpoints are always a pain but here they seem to be checking us and our route. There are always sleeping policeman at these checkpoints over which lorries crawl. There are many sleeping policemen in the countries we have been in and they become part of life on the road. Motorbikes go over them better than cars but we do have to watch out.
The weather has been much cooler than I had thought. Since leaving Dahab it has been only 20-25c . Some days it has been cloudy and we have nearly been caught in a shower of rain in the desert! We have seen puddles and standing water in the desert.
At the end of the day ,just before Sirt we called in at Medina Sultan to see Marble Arch and a couple of bronze statues. It was the arch we were interested in. It had apparently been moved from its original spot at Um Ezzera( As Sidrah). We had come through this place about 60 miles back and of course did not stop or look. It was not at Sultan so we had a disappointment. We could not go back 60 miles now. Someone had got their info wrong at Sukra travel!.
Arrive in Sirte and led to a grand looking hotel which appears empty of guests apart from ourselves. Miles 315
The hotel looked very grand and our bedroom and seemed fine. However on using the bathroom, we found that the bath tap water ran over the bath edge ,the shower hose spurted water out, no plug, loo paper holder broken,water leaked from overflow of sink, no grill over plug hole so soap fell down the hole .....
31st Oct Monday
Off at 9am to do 200 odd kilometres , which turned out to be miles, to Leptis Magna. More desert full of camels and a road full of pick ups. Libyans drive pick ups of all sorts and ages. Some are very old indeed. The old ones are all the same bluey grey colour and are Peugeots. Very battered they seem to still get along, albeit slowly. Top of the range pick ups are also around and Toyotas of all ages very popular. Its pickups and not donkeys ( nor mopeds of which there seems to be not one).
Near Misratah ,the countryside changes and there are palm trees and eucalyptus and we leave the desert. Much busier road.
Leptus Magna is Roman. Very well preserved roman city by the sea. Its suddenly got hotter and we swelter a bit as we plod round. The amphitheatre was fantastic. Our driver Abdul Hakim, sleeps while we sightsee.
We then head off to hotel about 15 miles further on. Large hotel,Funduq Nagaza, out of town, with views of the sea and terraced hillsides (not being used) . We are the only guests again. Miles 232.
1st Nov Tuesday
Leave at 9am and head for Tripoli along the coast. By 10.30am we are by the castle/fort right by the sea. Wander the souk. Libyan sellers are not pushy . The town is tidy and ordered. The rubbish problem in Gadaffi`s own part of Libya i.e. the capital and all the way to his birthplace near Sirte, is mostly under control. Sirte ,in particular was very clean.
It is the last day of Ramadam. Even here in Tripoli where there are some tourists we find it hard to get a drink in a cafe. We end up in a large hotel...no cafes open even for non Muslims.
After Tripoli we head for Gharyan in the foothills of the Jebel Nafusa. Check into the usual large empty hotel..This time it is in town and in Lonely Planet guide. Funduq Rabta. We quickly get out of motorbike gear (hotter today) and whizz out to see an underground Berber house before it shuts prior to `eid al fitr` which is the holiday and celebrations at the end of Ramadam. The house was fun...you enter via a tunnel and come into a courtyard open to the outside but effectively below ground level. Lots of rooms dug out of the earth open off it and there was a well in the centre.
Have been forgetting to mention that water is more expensive than petrol here:and in Egypt it was too. Petrol costs .15 ld and water costs .5ld for one litre. That`s about 6p for petrol and 21p for water. Funny thought.
Miles 140
2nd Nov Wednesday
Late start..10.30am for last full day in Libya. We ride along the top of the Jebel Nafusa. Less interesting than I thought it would be. I start seeing Berber `houses` dug into small cliff faces and essentially underground. I am sure some were in use. We finally pull into Kamau and our driver takes us to the old `city`. To my surprise it has a Qasr or fortified granary. In fact these stores were used for oil, figs,dates etc as well as grain. Small rooms..one per family or shared , they sit in several storeys. Inside are pottery pots for the oil or just a space. Maybe a hundred rooms. It is surrounded by old houses, half underground,half brick/mud. On we go to Nalut for the night where there is another fortified granary. This one is not based on a courtyard ,as was the other, but has passages between the little store rooms. A veritable honeycomb of rooms in several storeys. Outside in other old buildings were 2 oil presses one of which only stopped being used in 2000. This whole granary was last used in the 60`s.
Libya has some wonderful archaeology but otherwise lacks charm in its countryside, which is full of rubbish, and its modern buildings which are ugly. The people have been friendly, our driver has been helpful, Tripoli was calm and ordered but I am looking forward to Tunisia, not least because we may be able to find a bottle of wine..something we have been without for a week.! The vehicles have been interesting , not least their take on Toyota....Tayota.
Eid seems to be calm so far and much is shut on this day of holiday. I had expected to see much feasting after a month of fasting. Miles 185. Tomorrow the border.
A small note. The libyan bathrooms have looked the part but lacked things, most notably a plug. My universal rubber plug that went round the world as well has proved invaluable, not only in Libya but all the trip. I bought it because Nick Lane had said it was the most useful thing he brought on the trans siberian railway!
3rd nov thurs
Read last night that Gaddafi has banned all nomadic way of life! Still believe I have seen inhabited unddrground houses in the desert. It would explain the absence of donkeys etc, and the concrete boxes built in the desert.
Get to border at 10.15am. Just before the border is Wazim. It had a wonderful looking granary up on the hill with the rest of the old town. Lots of holes/entrances in the rock. It seems we will get some money back on the money paid on the border coming in. Small compensation for the whole cost of the `tour`. The customs people make us a sweet cup of `chi` while we wait for them to drive off to get the rebate money for us. It all took quite a time but finally we waved goodbye to our libyan driver Abdul- hakim and after another half hour we entered Tunisia. 10mins down the road a police checkpoint wants to know everything all over again! Off down the desert road finally with a restricted zone to our left. Its the first day of eid here..one day behind libya , so everything shut again. Most notable differences between libya and tunisia are, lack of rubbish, white painted buildings, tidier, people walking and mopeds. Have to go 120km before finding a restaurant open. No money changed (no banks open) but guy in restaurant goes off on Clive`s bike ,with Clive, to find a money changer.
All is more relaxed in a strange way, than libya. We travel on to Gabsa,where someone has recommended a hotel. It is a huge affair near the beach but we half board for £40. Petrol here is about 43p per litre. I notice that more people are in cafes enjoying themselves than in Libya. Not sure what it is that is different..more open islam perhaps. Less girls in headskarves for sure. We are now following dad`s war days and going to the places we can that he mentions in his diary. Miles 211
4th nov friday
Spend morning checking out dad`s `places`. We are still in fairly deserty conditions but some faming. Once off main roads we find donkeys and carts...not many but they are still at work. I saw one pulling a small harrow to cultivate under the olive trees. There are lots of olive trees! The old berber houses with their barrel shaped roofs are not in evidence now as they were nearer the border. Occasionally see a round mud built house..possibly store house. Several very rough looking abodes made of sticks and rubbish. Several corrals made of spicky sticks. There were people selling petrol by the road side. We presume this is libyan petrol smuggled in as it is so much cheaper.
As we head for Le Kef we leave the plain and head into the Jebel/hills. It rises to 600m or so. Cooler and farming. Winter barley crops are through and some is still being sown. Still very dry but there is irrigation.
More herdsmen, some quite smartly dresed. All rather neat in some way.
Find hotel per Lonely planet guide. Restaurant we were aiming was closed so ended up in a restaurant that was full of men only( I was the only woman)who were drinking alcohol! We ate a meal and drank a bottle of wine! Miles 318
5th nov saturday
Visit the kasbar! Its a solid ,restored and built in the 16th century affair. Lovely views over the countryside. Clive goes to a barber where he gets his hair washed, cut,washed and cut and aftershaved all for £2.20. I bought olive oil!
On to Tunis. Prickly pear hedges of yesterday, give way to open farm land. Small 2 wheel drive tractors with small implements ,by English standards anyway, work in the fields. We are still 500m up so it is cooler than sealevel. Quick look at Dougga, yet another amazingly preserved Roman city. Its perched on a hill top with some old columns on the skyline. I notice Wheatears beside the road..quite a lot of them in places. I had seen a few in Libya.
Tunis is reached without more ado. We find an hotel near to the medina. Not very salubrious area. Wander the medina, buy `arab` outfits for dressing up parties, and go to internet cafe, whose staircase was the scruffiest and whose computers were the slowest...it took me 15 mins to get in to my email box!
Get ready to go out. Decide to put bikes in the paying car park and just before we do so Clive notices his chain has been pinched. Its a heavy chain for locking his bike to something. Was in a pouch on the back of his bike. His panniers were unlocked!! But though opened nothing had gone. First time anything stolen. Time the bikes were off the streets!
Miles 120
6th nov sunday
Have to get up and out by 7.30am to get bikes out of garage before 8am. They are going to shut until Tues morning. Its the weekend. It has been very confusing because in the muslim world Friday is weekend and Sunday is a working day.!
Have breakfast( all included for 43 tunisian for the night...thats £20). Meet english lady who owns a house on a tunisian island...retired teacher. Then set off for Le Goulette and the ferry terminal. We know a boat leaves at 12.30pm. Its raining! Get ticket on an SNCM line. Have a bit of a performance getting through customs since we do not have a piece of paper to allow us to drive in Tunisia. We should have been given this on entry from Libya. So final charade is filling that all in now just before exit. We have to get it stamped in our passport too, which entails walking off to arrivals for the stamp, even though we are departing. Then no one else looks at it before we board the ferry.
Very smart ferry, about 3 years old. Find that the expensive tickets have not included a cabin! Vision of airplane seats does not make me happy. Contrary to info, boat is not full and we pay even more to get a cabin. It is still raining. What will the weather be like on the other side in France. We are headed for Marseille. We see the lights of Sardinia at about 9pm as we ear supper. The boat is going along at about 40 knots. The distance is about 500 nautical miles between Tunis and Marseille. I thought it would have been more. Miles 9
7th nov Monday
Boat gets in at 10.30am, after calm crossing. Its brilliantly sunny. Bright blue sky..not polluted. The sky in north africa was invariably hazy.
Pretty countryside for a couple of hundred miles with massif on one side and alps on the other. We are motorway driving ..home ... Notice all the trucks from many nations (in africa there was hardly any inter country travel). Notice the cleanliness and we notice the expense!.
Brilliant sun but only 15c. Not bad...but when the sun goes down its colder. Try to stay in Dijon but on a Monday night in November everything is full! Some fair...! Have to go on n the dark (its not late) to Chaumont. Find Formule 1 but food place full with party. What is it with Monday night in November? Finally get back on bike and find L`oasis rstaurant. Excellent value. Going back see its 6c...cold. Bit of a shock to the system and Clive complains about his kidneys being cold. Miles 413..60m too many!
8th nov Tuesday
Bright but cold, 8c, morning. We have been lucky with the weather. We carry on heading north on the motorway. Green countryside, lots of peewits in the fields, a strange green crop that I cannot recognise, buzzards sitting around on their posts, and the french farmers busy harvesting their sugar beet and sowing cereals. It warms up to 15c in the sunshine. We head for Hesdin and get there about 4pm. Miles 284
9th nov Wed
Off to Calais. Cloudy but dry (rain in the night). Buy 7 boxes of wine, then to the ferry. We were in Calais 3 years to the day coming back from our round the world trip! Ride back to Norfolk in sunshine. Cold however! Make it just before dark
Miles 279
Total miles. 7278
Black Sea trip (3150 miles on the bike speedo)
Sunday 21st may
Wake up to forecast saying rain heading our way. Not raining however as we set off at 9.15am for Dover to catch ferry at 2.25pm. It did rain after Stansted but not too heavy. I realised after setting off that I had forgotten my driving licence but I do have my international one. Then worried as to whether I did have my passport! Checked at Stansted and relieved to see I had it!
Had never gone off on a long journey on my new bike. Now riding a BMW R1200 GS. Huge for me but lighter than my old R850R.Had never tried riding it with bag across the back and my leather rucksack. Didn`t work, so had to make a rapid change of rucksack before leaving home....purple one. Up into the roofspace to get it etc. Then one more thing... call divert is not working. BT not answering so have to give up and leave it to Mum. Clive all ready of course; He has been a day ahead of me all along.
Been very difficult getting things done before the off. Moving house, farming and a late spring delaying things in the orchard.
Calais to Charleroi in 2 hours. Rained on and off but could have been worse. Motorway dull but tomorrow we motorway all across Germany and then the day after the holiday really begins as we enter the Czech Republic.
Miles 320
Monday 22nd may
Set off just before 9am from our formula 1.Weather was looking like the day before...big potential for rain! We rode for about 3 hours and then the rain became serious and for the next 3 hrs it was not very nice at all. Clive was getting wet down his front because the water was coming in at the front of his neck. I had a damp bum and gradually getting wet round my neck and downwards. Feet and hands dry. Thankfully we rode through it and got less showers and a mostly dry road. We were heading for Nurnburg but in the end stopped slightly short and tried for a hotel in Schwabach; wanted 70 euros. After following various suggestions we ended up in a small place with one hotel (gasthaus) in the countryside which only charged 40 euros. Much better! The place is called Pruppach...., near Roth.
Temp has been around 13c in the rain but rose to 22c or so out of the rain. We have had a fair amount of clothing on since this was definately the lowest temperature we are expecting on this trip. We have not been that warm!
Miles 397
Tuesday 23rd may
Had breakfast, as it was included in the 40 euro price of room, before a late start about 10am.
Into the Czech republic and finally off motorway at Pilsen(plsen). We (the fault of both of us as I probably chose the wrong road and Clive would not stop and check at crossroads and junctions to see if we were on the right road), did huge circles as we cut across to Melnik, north of Prague. Lovely rolling countryside and pretty. Birds of prey struggling in the wind, crops, trees, well managed woods etc. Large ruined places. I finally capped a not very smooth running afternoon off by putting 4.5 litres of diesel in my tank before realising it wasn`t petrol. I already had about 8.5 litres of petrol in the tank but better safe than sorry we wheeled the bike round to the side and very slowly managed to empty out about 9 litres through a very slow running pipe! Stinking of petrol we then wheeled it back to refill. The lady at the desk had guessed but they had left us to it. We tipped the fuel on to a pile of leaves...She gave me a sweet when I went in to pay. The bike started and we got to Melnik finally. Found campsite by asking and booked a night in a barrel!
Miles 259 ( very convoluted)
Wed 24th may
Had day sightseeing Prague. Took the local bus. Then the efficient metro. Did well. The castle we viewed from the outside; we crossed the river Vlitara on the Charles bridge and then walked back to Museum. Pleasant weather,clean town and not too many tourists. Liked the old courtyards and big buildings.
Good restaurant on the campsite and local wine grown around Melnik was good. Another night in our wine barrel. Still cool weather...only 15c.
Thursday 25th may
Set off from our barrel home about 9am. Took Clive to see the Horin palace just north of Melnik. I was there in about 1994 with the children when we met Jo and Giles. The palace looked exactly the same. Still in need of renovation and still long grass where the lawn should be (where we had camped). Then we went on our way heading east for Slovakia. We had picked out a route on secondary roads. Flat farmland to start with...rape and corn growing. Very green otherwise. Road fairly full of traffic in parts but the further from Prague we went the prettier and nicer it became. Some wonderful woods as we entered Moravia and rolling hills. Onion topped church towers denote another religion (russian orthodox?). Big houses, as in germanic!. Stone built and quite often `end on` to the street.
We had trouble trying to find a cafe to have a drink in. There were things called `motorests` but few and far between. In Moravia we found it better.
Weather has continued cold...between 14c and 20c..very cold wind but it got slightly warmer as we neared Roznov, our intended nights stop.
Encountered some roadworks on the way. Clive hates deviating so I had my first off road practice on the 1200. Dirt, pavement, sharp holes and potholes!
As we pulled into the campsite , up came a motorbike, very beaten. It was Simon Newbound. I had read about him going round the world with his wife Monika, who is Czech. We stayed the night with him and they took us to a restaurant up the hill. Www.spiritsofadventure.com. He had finished his 4 year trip 6 months ago and was still feeling deflated and not sure what to do next. Longing to talk with brits....us .
Czech republic is cheaper than UK . A tea and coffee cost 80p. Petrol 80p.
Miles 235
Friday 26th may
Simon and Monika gave us breakfast and then Simon wanted to video us round town. So more coffee and videoing. Finally set off in rain ,and the same old 14c, at about 10.30am. Into Slovakia. Very pretty totally tree clad mountains and very pretty valley which we slowly climbed through. All spoilt by a busy road as it is the only road east. Slovakia seems a bit like Estonia. Its gives an air of thriving. Petrol a little more than Czech republic.
We plugged along the main road, at times being in big showers of rain. Finally topped the mountain divide near the tatras which were snow clad to our right. Cool when up high. The valley gradually opens out. We cut the corner from Spissky castle to Kosice. Here we came round a bend to see a hillside with some very poor people living there in old log cabins, children rough and playing in the dirt. They must have been Rusins, a small ethnic group of slavic people. There are more in the Ukraine. We saw more as we continued on. So much poorer than the rest.
Houses generally become smaller and are built closer together as we near the border.
Clive must have had something on his mind today..he rode without real concentration at times. We ended up a bit late trying to find an hotel that was in the guide. It was north of the lake Zemplinska Sirava at Kaluza. We eventually got there and found it was up for sale and closed! Nearby however was another and we were surprised to get a room for 900 korunas (30=1 euro), as it is a bit of a holiday spot by this lake. Weather clearing up possibly.
Miles 239
Saturday 27th may
Wake up to rain! But after breakfast it has stopped. Off to the border, still very overcast, but okay. Usual temp of 14c. This is our 7th day and the temp has not changed! At the border were masses of bikes from the Blue knights club..an international club for police of different countries. At first we thought it was a good thing that we could tag along at the end of the group but I am not so sure. The whole border was held up because of all the owners of bikes. I thought the car owners were very patient. There was a long queue and we had gone to the front. It all took about 2 hours and then we are into `real abroad`. First get some ukraine money..we had no idea of the rate of exchange but Clive did a small deal at 6 ukraine to 1 euro. It ended up as being fine. Petrol was 4 per litre so that means about 46p per litre.
Carpathian mts were green and tree covered . Road turned out to be excellent once we had sorted out a few lorries and we had good biking in top gear round big swooping bends. Got cold at the top. Houses here are wooden with tin roofs. Old ladies in black in the fields and beside the road. Some horse and carts. We stopped for tea at a scruffy building and 2 large ladies gave me excellent soup and Clive some kind of ham chop. Got to Stryi on the main road and then went for a less main road to Ternopil. Road became `interesting`. Some fast bits but also some bumpy potholes and chronic holes to some dirt patches. At last start to see life. One wedding party with their cake held aloft walking down the road was then repeated with more wedding parties. It is Saturday. Wonderful open countryside..no hedges, no fences. Begin to see stray dogs...not too many and they are mostly small and short legged , `easier to kick says Clive`. People watching their cows, tethered horses, goats,chickens everywhere and geese by the edge of the road with their young. Houses have railings around and are stone or wood with tin roofs. Hand hoeing on strip land but also begin to see some huge areas of one type of crop. Many people out on their land in the early evening.
Ornate churches .
We pushed on to spend night in Ternopil. Choice of two hotels, both expensive. Finally opted for a very basic room for £21 but ate for about £6. Wedding parties going everywhere.
Miles 240
Sunday 28th may
Its dad`s birthday. Another day at 14c. When is it going to warm up.? Twenty minutes down the road we got stopped in one of the many police checkpoints on the main roads. Said we were going 82kms. We thought we were allowed 110 on a duel carriageway which this was at that point. Anyway had to pay something. Clive did a deal at 100(£14) . No receipt, straight in policeman’s pocket. So we had to be wary after that as we were going to be on this kind of road all day. There was no other alternative route for this part. Hope more interesting tomorrow.
It was not so bad. Traffic probably not so heavy as it was Sunday. Lovely open scenery when you could see it. One can imagine steppes, windswept. One of the problems with the road was that it was tree lined so that it hid the view of the countryside. Wonderful hard wood trees though, especially birch. Every now and then there would be a brazier going beside the road where kebabs could be had.
Where it went through villages there were free roaming chickens, and geese; many had young. As yesterday, goats, cows and nice looking horses.
Strip farming rubbed shoulders with big farming... Hand hoeing on the strips. Many old ladies with colourful scarves in the fields. Hand milking in the field. Men with bicycles with greenery gathered from the side of the road ...to feed what? Horses and carts with gathered wood.
Got to Uman. Did internet after being led to the best hotel in the Sofia gardens. Clive now making a fuss about taking smaller roads tomorrow. Heading for Kherson and not Odesa.
Miles 249
Monday 29th may
Had a quick walk into the park. Obviously beautiful. Clive not interested. Same temp! Clive gets us out of town and on to boring motorway for a bit. Then main road, then finally secondary road. So much better but we go the wrong way and I nearly have a major problem. A bicycle suddenly appears out of nowhere going across my road. Thank goodness I only end up clipping his back wheel. That goes pop and buckles completely.I do not wobble even and the man is fine.The man has some very strange specs on and it becomes obvious that his eye sight is very bad. Clive ends up hanging the bicycle with its bent wheel on the back of his bike; I take the man on mine and we continue to his village, quite a long way. There we deposit him and the bicycle and give him money for the back wheel. He does not/has not made a fuss and we depart. I believe his eye sight was to blame and that he had come across the road thinking it was clear. He wore some strange and enormous glasses with two lenses in the middle. He and I were lucky.
Soon later realised we had been travelling in the wrong direction and had to retrace our steps through the mans village!. Clive got fed up and was not that sympathetic.( He crashed badly with a bicycle in India and came off.)
We continued on, on secondary road to Mykolaiv.... Pretty good road surface and far less traffic. No police either and speed is not an issue. One village we went through had `wishing` type wells still in use. Animals on tethers litter the roadside of the village. The road has a large grass verge before the house fences. No pavement ,just a path track. Big country. Lots of people seen scything the grass near the road and stuffing it into sacks which they load on to their bicycles or sidecar or trailer. Head on for Kherson. Join main road in the end. Find hotel Brigantina. Paul Howell comes to this place on business. He is at home right now though.
Today we at last turned south and I felt that when we reached the black sea the people had changed a bit. I think it is more of a mixture. Miles 277
Tuesday 30th may
It is warmer! Just a bit...one layer off. Into bank next door and then off to the Crimea. Kherson goes on for ever but eventualy cross the Dnipre, a huge river. We are in a snow storm of dandilion type seeds, I think from the poplar trees. They get on your face even with visa down , and tickle!
Passed a scoda towing a trailer, crabbing along the road, solid with cabbages stuffed into the car and trailer! Enjoying the sun for once as we stop for breakfast by the road in a new modern roadside stop. Clive enjoying pirodhys.
The north edge of the Crimea is flat. Fairly dull riding on pretty good secondary road brought us on south. Uncutivated land ,sometimes a riot of white and red(poppies), as well as crops, lowish trees ,lagoons ( but not many birds) and glimpses of the sea. Became pleasantly undulating as we approached Sebastopol. In Sepastopol we bumped into a Swiss guy going round the Black sea by himself on his bike. We wondered if we would bump into him again ( we do!)
We did Sebastopol and Balaklava. 2 boys led us up a track (which we would never have found) in Balaclava: so we got some good photos of the inlet. I tried to imagine the Crimea war, and all the heights etc. Above Balaclava we climbed directly up to 200m. Hard work for a foot soldier.
We then pressed on to Yalta. Got there about 7pm after a lovely ride along the coast road ...no traffic. The biggest hotel in town is the Yalta hotel..2230 rooms! Its also the best value! Room 32 euro. Vast! Yalta like Monaco without the traffic. Had the worst meal however and the most expensive! Then Clive decided we should sample some vodka....
Miles 299.
Wednesday 31st may
Have just eaten too much for lunch: soup with meat ,veg, spagetti and potatoes in it and a piece of meat stuffed bread.
We did internet at the hotel and left about 10.30am. Coast road, which is up in the hills(Krymski Hory) was great and when it became less main ,it was very bendy. Very scenic. Reminded Clive of Sardiinia. An unspoilt south of France perhaps. Road a bit bumpy but otherwise good with little traffic till we get to the main road to Kerch. Before getting to Kerch, Clive has a worrying moment as a cow suddenly decides to cross the main road in front of him. Woman then follows the cow into the road in front of me followed by a dog! We take it in our stride.
Still seeing lovely trees including white flowered accacia whose scent is wonderful. Dog roses in abundance. Green lush grass and grassy hillsides. Blue sea and dark sand/small pebbled beaches. Near Yalta we did not see any beaches; cliffs and rocks.
We come out of the hills and on to a flatish plain. Grassy hills, natural as God would have made! A few villages and we enter Kerch outskirts. Riding behind a tall white van I see a policeman pointing his batten at a car that was on the opposite side of the road. Car did not seem to stop so he then pointed it at us. Clive does not seem to think he did and we carry on. Lo and behold up comes a police car behind us. Pretends that he has got us on a speed gun when were hidden behind the van! Show papers etc. Off bikes etc. One policeman is taking photos of the bikes with his mobile . Then the other sits on Clive’s bike while the first one takes more photos. Then it is back to the business of getting money from us. We are catching the ferry to Russia so have hardly any Ukrainian money. Somehow we catch on that if we had something english then that would do. Out comes my purse of english change. In the end we delight him with a couple of pound coins and fifty pence pieces! Down to the port and we find that a ferry goes at 7pm. Various documents have to be got and the tickets. Small open air type ferry and it takes about 20 mins. Then we spend a good hour presenting passport etc over and over again. Friendly. We think they have never had Brits through here. They say they haven`t. Very little english. By now its nearly dark and we have 94k to the nearest town with an hotel, Anapa. Good road but about 5 miles down the road a police checkpoint wants to go through the whole process again! Corrupt we think. Loads of mosquitos as we wait. About 15 mins later we can continue. One more lot of police before we reach town. Find hotel in lonely planet guide but its full! Eventually get to another, people helpful, but all rooms everywhere hugely expensive £70. Food however no problem even though it is nearly midnight. Eat in trendy cafe next door. Hotel is good standard too.
Miles 235
Thursday 1st june
Began late. One reason was that we had not realised that clock went forward again...we are now 3 hours ahead of UK. Breakfast included so we only just made that...it was good. Then internet. It must have been about 11am when we left. Off to only stop in a jam about 5 miles up the road. Weather now hot. Sat, getting sweaty, waiting for a gov. minister to swoop by on the main road we were about to join. Then of course we had police at every junction!
Tree clad hills and a twisty road with very slow (walking pace)lorries grinding up the gradient. Undeveloped south of france again and a coast road in the hills going round every headland and into each bay. Green scene; women selling strawberries and cherries, walnuts and honey. Diesel belching lorries and bend on bend. Fun on the bikes but hard work getting the bends right and coping with the few lunatics. Took us far longer than thought to cover 200 miles but made it to Dagomy... And got a room (supper and breakfast included) in a huge tower block like place on the 17th floor. Seems to have a restaurant for each floor run by a `good lady`! Our room very hot and write this with bull frogs calling loud and clear from ground level. It was 33c today and is about 30c in this room.
Miles 202
Friday 2nd june
We read this morning before breakfast ( I had not got quite got to the paragraph in the book the night before) that entry to Abkhazia, on our route, was going to be a problem. Abkhazia is a breakaway region of Georgia and is muslim. No entry from Russia it seemed. Riding round and going lnland would take us too near Chechnya and Belsan (the school problem). But the guide said there was a ferry to Poti in Georgia leaving on fridays....today!
Set off to cover the few miles to Sochi port. Got ourselves to an international pavilion that dealt (it turned out) with cruises. Nice girl Maria, www.sochi-holidays.ru, spoke good english and took us under her wing. No vehicle taking boat to Poti today and no entering Georgia from Russia. So..only chance seems to be boat to Turkey ( trabazan) and then back track to take in Georgia. Go and have lunch. Would have been cheap except we asked for lamb which cost £10. The whole bill was £16 !
Told to go to ticket office at 3pm. A motley bunch is gathered. We do get a ticket but there is no positive time for the boats departure. It was going to be about 10.30pm but this is now doubtful. Have to report back at about 6pm. Its hot and we are sweating our way about in motorbike gear. Clive in leather trousers. He changes. The bikes are parked in full sun so not nice checking them out. I am amazed at the tight clothing girls are wearing in the hot sun. They must be as hot as I am.! Clive tries to change the remains of his Ukraine money but no one will change it: `its good for wiping your bum on!` I go to a hole in the wall for the ticket money. You deal through a grill, rate on the wall and a calculator. They will only change euros or dollars..no visa card etc. There are ATMs however. Ferry not cheap. We sit in cafe in the shade and Clive snoozes.
Check at ticket office again and boat now going tomorrow am at 10am. This means we have to find an hotel. Go to train station to see if we can get a home stay(room). Problem with having bikes watched if we opt for a homestay. Bump into very nice couple...speak english ...who help. Hotel moscow , in lonely planet guide deemed best. So we stay there. Go out to eat light meal..spent too much at lunch on the lamb but this time my red wine costs too much...can`t win. A russian teacher wants to chat...so we do. We had found a good local place.
Miles 15
Saturday 3rd june
Up early to get the ferry which was to leave at 10am. Took photo of bikes outside the Hotel Moscow, then 5 mins to port. Sorry, boat now leaving at 2pm-3pm. Go to office which says 6pm! Back to port and agreement with 6pm. Discuss delay with others including germans on bicycles. They tell us they have now waited for 2 days. We go back to hotel because we can use our room till 12 noon. Change and go swimming . Beach is pebbly and water is not that clean. Lots of jelly fish, small but non stinging, it seems. Very large lady on the beach in a very old bather.
Not exactly decent! The sun is very strong so cannot spend long here. Clive fascinated by all the shapes on the beach! No shade. Do internet and find cafe for lunch. As its saturday it is wedding day and it appears the cafe is opposite the registry office. Bride after bride appears with much tooting of horns, spinning of wheels; girls all dressed up, some in some strange outfits. Car alarms are set off on purpose, russian music is played and it is general chaos. The partying will carry on tomorrow as well. Clive enjoying the whole scene....pretty girls etc.
We hung around and hung around. At 5pm we went to the port yet again. This time a real crowd of people were gathering but no other vehicles it seemed. We had located the boat sitting elsewhere in the port. 6pm came and went. We all wait in the shade. Finally a woman comes out to check our papers. She then helped us through customs when it did at last all slowly start to happen. We were the only vehicles. They checked our luggage twice..two different sets of people! Finally the Apollonia 11 got under way about 10pm (not 6pm!). Ship was 42 years old. Cabin small with porthole that opened and a washbasin.
We then drank and ate, too much of both...and danced till 3am! Clive had got into the vodka and I had wine. We were a bit of a novelty for the passengers....some had probably never met an english person. We are always asked if we are german and there is surprise when we say we are english. There were 2 germans with bicycles on board and an australian (who did not want to talk with us!).Many other passengers were russian women returning to their turkish husbands after a visit back home; or were they prostitutes?
Sunday 4th june
The boat docked about 10.30am in Trabzon. We were tired and hungover. In the heat we had to queue with all the foot passengers to have our passport stamped. We were last because of the bikes...all the passengers were off the boat before us. That took about 1.5 hours. Then we sat and sat, waiting for some man to come re. the bikes. As the only vehicles we were a problem. Finally troupe off to a computer where details were slowly put in,in order to generate a number that was put in the passport and signed by 2 people. All very tedious. I was very thirsty with the heat and no drink to be had . Finally we set off about 3 hours after arriving in port. Straight past an accident...but the road is good and we cover some miles in the direction of Georgia, before Clive has to have a snooze. Stop in pleasant restaurant.
Dull,sad looking girl comes in with her muslim scarf on and I think of the contrast between her and the happy sexy ,laughing girls we had left behind in Sochi, Russia.
We had fresh fish for lunch..delicious. We had only seen smoked or salted fish in russia and ukraine. We had had problems with menus in russia as we could not translate the cyrillic script so did not always choose well.
The road runs right by the sea edge to the left and mountains to our right. Tree clad and with terraces of tea bushes. My first sight of tea growing. I noticed lorries carrying green leaves..tea leaves. The bushes are low and look like they have been cut by machine. The road is undergoing major improvements and we see lots of smallish lorries carrying large rocks for the road. No natural harbours here but each village has a manmade harbour. Horrid concrete blocks of flats with the odd older houses.
Going round a bend near Ardesen we are suddenly surprised by the sight of snow topped mountains. Here we are riding along in 30c!
Get to border quicker than expected and decide to go for it and get into Georgia. It is 5.30pm Turkey time(Georgia 1 hour ahead. ) have to get out of turkey first. Okay for me but problems for Clive. His registration number has been entered on the` new today` computer programme in two different ways...11cas and IIcas...one with number ones and one with i`s.
Eventually the problem is solved and on to Georgian customs. It is not so bad and we are through! Nearly dark we get to Batoumi and find hotel Beso in a back street. But room okay and very local restaurant downstairs next door. A girl with good english is very helpful. We ate for 12 dollars to music. The locals seemed to be dancing with each other for our benefit. I tried the local homemade wine and it was much as you would expect! This all happened very late at night ie near to midnight . Most places in England would have shut.
Miles 132
Monday 5th june
Had a walk round town. Not that attractive. Quite poor we think. But found internet cafe with new computers. And a good place to have some food. My tea however came from ceylon instead of georgia. Back to hotel ,packed up and set off for Borjomi via the main road that runs north of the border. Main road. Great start, lovely scenery. Cows wandering by the road side..lots of them. Later I saw a horse or two and a donkey, all wandering along the road. Ever present stray dogs too. At the end of the day we see wandering pigs.
We are beside a river,muddy coloured water. Groups of people ,esp men who have nothing else to do. Not much traffic. Stop for drink by way side shed. Quickly young men come, very friendly and burst into song for us. Good. So enthusiastic. No english though.
Road surface slowly deteriorates. What has been a tarred road has not been maintained. Becomes bad farm road as we climb up the mountain pass to 1900m. Pass patches of snow! The temp has been around 40c on the way up. One patch of mud is alarming and the odd stream flowing across the road. Possibly 50 miles of this. It takes us about 5 hrs. Odd bits of tarmac tantalise but not until last 60 kms does it improve. I have problem with one stream and Clive comes back to help me! Can`t do it!
Borjomi has several hotels but they all look grim. Go with guide and inspect Hotel Victoria . Has apartments inside that are not too bad. Outside of the building looks chronic and the archway through which we take our bikes round the back is rough. Owners helpful though and we eat good food in taverna down the road.
Miles 133
Tuesday 6th june
Back tracking a little bit so that we can exit Georgia via Vale. Its a red road on the map but we get on to rotten roads again and very poor villages. Rusty hulks of machinery etc but children modern clothed . Houses mostly stone, some wooden but life not helped by this appalling road. We didn`t go that far until we stopped and asked a cleric and he told us we were wrong. The map was wrong!! Back round the other way. Looked good ie tarmac but soon deteriorated. We were encouraged by modern turkish lorry lurching its way along and a couple of good cars. We really did not want to retrace our steps again this morning over this rough road. Bits of tarmac followed by large holes. We do have an advantage sometimes over cars but not if it gets wet or muddy or river beds etc. On we go, so slowly, about 15mph and finally see a fence..the border at last. Customs looks at our papers and then says there is a problem. We were booked out to leave via Sarpi instead of Vale which is where we are. (only 2 exits from Georgia to Turkey). They say that we must go all the way back to the way we came in ( over all that rough road!). No way we say. Then they say the phone wont work, the fax cannot send direct, ie the can`t contact Sarpi. Clive cleverly gave them a chance to ask for money and so in the end it was bribery and corruption that got us through. Turkey border was as normal and finally on we went. But only after a little nurse had stamped us through. Clive asked for his blood pressure to be taken so she did and said it was 100/60 (mine 110/70). Perfect!
Tarmac! Road good and wonderful. We are still in mts. Border was at 1200m and we climb up and down with snow lying at about 1900m. One high pass at 2468m takes us through to a high rolling plateau at about 1800m. Wonderful grassy mts with small villages here and there. They are cow herders and subsistence farming. Scrappy fields of barley. Many busy with making what looks like peat blocks for fuel. All neatly being stacked. Everyone busy with this task. Old houses low, stone,grass on roof. Electricity and satellites! Otherwise life much as it used to be. Went right round a large lake not on our map. Here a few nomads with large herds of sheep. Odd nice looking horses roam free or are tied. Some cows free to wander.
We now get on well with this excellent road and no traffic. The only damper was that it was showery and small showers rained upon us from time to time. Not bad enough for waterproofs though.
Kars is destination.
Miles 186
Wednesday 7th june
Left Kars with its mountain honey and cheeses. It was 1768m high. Met 2 bikers there coming the other way. One on journey round the world and the other going to Akaba apparently.
Lovely road on undulating plateau. Big cow herds, lots of grass, big green hills and snow capped mountains. One very high peak..Kosedagi 3432, looking like Ararat. Saw a flock of red rumped wheatears (at least I think so). Road became duelled at Erzurum in a big open valley with the mountains on either side. Not so nice as road carving its way through the countryside. People hand tilling their strip farmed field ,though several small Massey Fergusen tractors around. After Erzurum things change a bit as houses alter to tin roofed and more and more modern. Still see cow herders with lots of cows.
We are still high up and do not drop below 1200m all day; luckily as its hot with a burning sun even though there are some clouds around. Petrol horribly expensive, over £1 per litre. Hotels about £20-£25 for the room and lunch about £4.
Back in muslim country so women second class citizens and problems for us with alcohol. It was so much easier further north! Also people stayed up later at night..restaurants open later etc because they dont have to get up at crack of dawn for prayer.
Got to Erzincan which is a very lively town not in guide ( nor is this part of Turkey). Loads of hotels . Town has snow clad mountains on either side so maybe ski centre?. Found out it is modern because it was all flattened in an earthquake in 1939. Also a military training centre . Noisy night... as we have to keep window open because its hot and traffic and call to prayer at daylight (very early!) disturb us.
Miles 242.
Thursday 8th june
We head westerly through the mountains dropping height after climbing to about 2000m after leaving the town. By lunchtime we are down to 500/600m. The everchanging mountains keep us busy...sometimes green with flowers and grass, sometimes bare and scraggy,sometimes tree covered with hardwood , sometimes firs. Strip farming in the valleys, all sorts of crops tended by hand with small gangs of women or family members. Sugar beet all hand hoed. Can`t think how fertilizer is put on as no tractor tracks. Every little farmer has a little red tractor...240s massey fergusens mostly. Some are decorated with a carpet on their bonnets. Little red tractors everywhere.
I think about all the unused land I have ridden by in the countries round the baltic and now Ukraine,Russia,Turkey. Small strips of farmland,maybe half hectare to one hectare, left to grow untouched beside cropped ones or much larger tracts of land as in Ukraine. Here there is much fertile looking land not being used. Then you get an area with strip after strip of sugarbeet. Looking good but all tended by hand including the harvesting which we saw last year. Corn crops can occasionally look good but again no `wheelings` so how do they spray or don`t they?
I think too about the rotten muslim way of life . Up at dawn to pray, having to wash before praying! And no alcohol..womens lot an unhappy one, all covered up and not allowed to do this and that.
Houses change from having tin roofs in the high mountains to red tiles. Just as we neared here there were some old wood framed whitewashed mud houses.
The road has been reasonably good. Two down points; one the road building which is going on everywhere in Turkey and two, the tarry surface. They are duelling every road they can which spoils the character of the countryside.
We get to Amasya, a pretty place tucked in under a rock face and a river. Famous for tomb features on the rock face as in Petra. Our hotel an old ottoman house hanging over the river. The ottomans ruled here from late 1300`s to late 1500`s.
Miles 260
Friday 9th june
Climbed the steps up to see some Pontic tombs that are in the rock face above this town. The old town very lovely. We see more as we set off.
Read about the new pipe line that we have been following on and off since Georgia. It runs from Baku to Ceyhan . It apparently opened/started about a week ago. There will be a gas pipe too.
Nice road a bit shrouded in clouds and drizzle. But the clouds lift and it is not so bad as we had thought. Stop for drink and the nice looking spot/cafe only has the dreaded turkish tea to drink..no coca cola nor coffee etc!
Weather a bit dull and overcast. Not that warm 21c or so. See several storks nests and a golden eagle.Then we go through a rice growing region before Boyabot. Lots of paddy fields. We had gone along a big lake that was very dried up. Normal or not ,we do not know. From Boyabot we climbed another pass to 1376m in fog and rain and cold. It dropped to 10c and we had clothing for at least 20c. I had no waterproofs on my legs and thought Clive hadn`t either. He had! He kept going and so did I thinking we would get through it once down the mountain but it kept on raining. We were nearly at destination, Sinop, so plugged on. Needless to say we missed seeing some lovely mountain scenery in the fog. I was cold and wet, Clive was fine! Good hotel and we ate well ..fresh fish and beer/wine.
Miles 165
saturday 10th june
We rode 200 miles of twisty turny coast road. It took us 6 hours or more. It was great. But we then did another 100 miles before the day ended. Clive was crochety before we found an hotel eventually in a place further on than we had planned...Eregli.
Our coast road became quite narrow in parts because it was falling in to the sea in places! Bumpy with potholes sometimes and otherwise bumpy with repairs. Cows wander at will mostly; nice brown ones. Stray dogs also in abundance. Fantastic rolling green mt landscape as we drive round headland after headland. Poorish villages..in one I saw them beginning to butcher a dead cow/steer. The cow/steer was on its back, dead, on the pavement, and it was being skinned. Several people around. This was right beside the road. In another village we came round a corner to see a mosque all crooked like the leaning tower of Pisa but worse. We presume it had been heaved in an earthquake. People have been selling cherries by the roadside, yesterday and today. They are selling green cherries too....for pickling?
Old wooden houses and half timbered houses, still in use. Tortoises crossing the road...some fail like hedgehogs.
Our progress is slow but sure. We finally stop for lunch at about 3pm. Then extraordinarily, a motorcycle pulls up; its like ours..big. Its the swiss man we saw all the way back in Sebastapol in ukraine! What a chance meeting. We swop experiences of the road. Notice his Samsung video camera and helmet mount; looks good.
We plug on to Zonguldak. Its 7.30pm and this large place is not in the guide. We find an hotel but cannot park anywhere. We give up and ride on. Kozlu has an hotel but can`t find it and we drift on finally to Eregli which is more touristy and very expensive but its now 9.30pm and dark. Got to get it wrong sometime! We eat nice fish though in a restaurant nearby..with some wine and still in motorcycle clothes!
Miles 301
Sunday 11th june
Made our way to Istanbul. Only minor excitement was Clive nearly running out of petrol. We could have taken petrol from mine but a petrol station loomed into sight just in time. It rains.
The passing shower with thunder and lightning passes by while we get petrol and we do not get wet. Find our way to Turkmen hotel in Istanbul . Its fine. Having arrived mid afternoon we have time to shop. I need camera batteries charged and succeed. We eat and relax with the tourists.
It has not been that warm...we understand that it is hotter in England. Perhaps 22/23c today and UK its 30c. Strange! But a relief for being here...sight seeing in these temperatures is bearable. We do not do much as have been here 4 years ago....
Miles 166
Monday 12th june
Leave Istanbul and head for Bulgaria. We spotted the hotel we stayed in when we went round the world..the `sokulla` pasa or something like that. Leave on motorway . I then gather that Clive wants to sit on this motorway and miss out a paralell main road. I take it leaving Clive to his boring motorway. It was a lovely road once I had joined it. Got to the cross roads with mine to find Clive had sent a message that he was further on. Find him. Have some food and then I have to go back for petrol as no more stations this side of border. Clive doesn`t wait so I have to try and catch up round bends. I am not happy.
Border up in mountains. Both sides pretty with forests but Bulgarian side best. Oaks of various kinds mixed in with grassy glades, really lovely; ferns border the road with uncut verges. Acacias, some beech etc. Road bumpy and potholed till we reach the sea when tourism takes over! The only vehicles we pass are horses and carts driven by lovely looking dark skinned people that remind me of Yugoslavians. There were horses and carts on the turkish side too..at one point I passed 4 in a convoy.
Get to Burgas. Resort town with large expensive hotel at its heart. We stay elsewhere for 58 lev.... 2.8 to the pound. Petrol much cheaper than Turkey..half the price. ..about 50p and turkey more than £1. Food cheap too..we have very good menu for 10 bulgarian. Can`t find any internet cafes and none of the many ATMs will take our cards. There are numerous change places open in the morning so will have to use them. How countries differ!
Miles 255
Tuesday 13th june
Get money changed , pay bill and set off. Within 10 mins we are putting on wet gear. Only in the nick of time as it deluges . We ride in the rain, and traffic,on mountainous twisty road. It is cold 15c and not very pleasant. Mercifully it stops and we get dry roads again. On through undulating landscape to Bucharest in Rumania. Stop in Varna (big port/ship building). Things are so european again. Nevertheless there are people with horses and carts/donkey and carts. Some subsistence farming but also big fields of corn crops.
The border only wanted to see our passports..so simple and we were waved out of Bulgaria and over the river Danube(?) on a high bridge. Usually it is such a hassle to even get out of a country. Romania..I have not been here since the 70s. Clive, though, has worked in Bucharest fairly recently so we plunge into the centre. Because the weather is not hot it is good for sight seeing and Clive leads us to the enormous palace of Chauchescu. It is impressive and I am impressed by all the fountains on the lead up to the building. Then Clive finds his old hotel which has been all smartened up. Stay nonetheless . Clive knows the shops round the corner etc. Go and eat in one of his old haunts!
Miles 251.
Wednesday 14th june
Grey, cloudy, as it has been for days. 21c. Set off for Brazov the home of Dracula. Cross the flood plain of the Danube.(?) . Fields of some good crops and also bad,thin,weedy ones. Ancient small tractors with ancient implements . Much hand labour weeding maize. Horses and carts going down the edge of the duel carriage way. Unlike Turkey, who have routed their new duel carriage ways round villages, this one is put right where the old road was ,slap bang through the centre so splitting the villages almost in two. Life carries on beside the road in a fairly dangerous manner...horses,dogs,cows on tethers, and people, children etc..,all by the road. Many men and women hanging around with one or two cows on leads.
Just before going up the mountains we are put through 2 disinfectants...one a personal spraying of our motorcycle tyres! Discovered later it is for bird flu and has been going on for 4/5 weeks.
Finally the rain gets us in Brazov as we try and locate the Bran castle. Waste a lot of time but finally get there in the rain. We do the castle. It has been in full use to the present day and is in good repair etc.
Cut across country on yellow roads to get back on our route to Cluj. Bumpy and badly potholed in places but in others not bad. Lots of pairs of horses with carts; some horses ploughing with single furrow wooden plough. They are not heavy carthorses but nice looking horses. Villages remind me of France many years ago. Solid houses with gates so you cannot see in. People keen to wave and friendly. It seems most carts have been grass gathering....to feed what? Saw one man with a wooden rake. Many with heavy wooden handled hoes.
Bump bump through the villages and round the potholes. Lovely grassy hill sides with clumps of woods. Open rolling valleys.
Hit main road. Lorries, but good road surface and we push on for Sighisoara where we get an hotel way up a back road that was well signposted. Town has got some huge old buildings inc. a monastery. Rain held off but it has been cold 10c to 15c.
Miles 211
Thursday 15th june
Cloudy skies..again. At the bike however my temp gage says 14c the coldest for at least 2 weeks. Down the hill we go and there in the main street is a procession. Its 9.30am, thursday morning, and all the young in the town are parading with flower garlands in their hair, male and female. Its the end of high school apparently. We see similar in other towns. Good for an hour and then rain begins along with wet roads. Road is too heavy with traffic for real enjoyment but it has good sweeping bends and nice scenery, but one has to concentrate too hard on the traffic to really watch.
We do slow down in the villages and in one they were still using wells with a bucket on the end of a counter weight pole.
In another village, Luna, the horses and carts seemed to be licensed. One had a plate saying 1 luna and another 45 luna. The next place, Turda had a similar system. Lots of paired horses pulling carts; in good form and condition...usually. Saw one or two horses ploughing but only saw one pair of cart horses. Saw a pair of water buffalo yesterday pulling a cart.
Grass gathering seems to be a major occupation...in the horse carts, in sacks, by bicycle,by wheelbarrow etc. Cut by scythe, everyone is doing it. We have seen no lawns since leaving Slovakia. We have seen so much grassland that is not used. Vast areas of unused land. Verges untrimmed and untidy and land that is just not being used. Later ,on the flood plain it is more mechanised, and you then see hay stooks on the field.
I realise I have a back brake problem at some point..it judders . But brakes do misbehave in the rain. However, rain stops and once dry I suspect that my brake pads are worn out. 8500 miles..not normal for me. Try not to use back brake as disc looks unhappy. Confirm metal on metal later!. Countryside sweeping and pretty and all looks better in the dry.
Over the border we do about 40 miles and stop at Puspokladany finally ( after checking several hotels/motels) in a modern place. Smart bedroom 30 euros but breakfast inc and internet free. Nice to be away from the fast and dangerous overtaking of Romania. The car drivers of newish cars were not good..the lorries were well behaved.
Miles 242
Friday 16th june
Headed for Budapest and a BMW agent we have found on the internet so that I can buy new brake pads. Heavy traffic on a good but main road. Lots of overtaking. Land is like the fens...flat and wet and fertile. It needs draining better for the farming. In parts the farming looks good, in others very weedy and there are many non used fields. Pools of water stand around. We are in the Danube valley/plain.
Find agent fairly easily. Not that friendly but get brake pads. Go onwards to Vac by the river Danube and near a cafe do the brakes. Have huge difficulty in moving the pistons back in. Clive helps and we struggle together till we eventually succeed. Not right to be that hard surely. At least brakes can now be used.
Clive has ordered a pancake stuffed with meat for lunch..one each! Nice of him. Afterwards we cross the border into Slovakia on secondary road and it is very pretty both sides of the border. Carry on till we reach Kor....for the night. Strange hotel in an old soviet building next to a sport stadium. Room 24 euros (we have no slovak money!). Meal 11 euros. Clive and I discuss road ahead...he wants non stop motorway from here , I want one more day to see Vienna.
Miles 238
Saturday 17th june
The worst inclusive breakfast yet but better than nothing. Set off about 9am and head for Vienna on ordinary roads. Slip over border and hit Vienna about 12.30. We do not have motorway ticket..this is a bit disconcerting. We do very well and put bikes in side street little knowing the main shopping street was very nearby . Internet cafe, restaurant and a tabac to get the `vignette` ( for the motorway) are all very near. Eat, shop a little and off we go. Bought a vignette ( only 4.30 €).
Its motorway now..home bound. Weather not as hot as yesterday,about 30c. Made walking round Vienna pleasant. In places before the end of the day its quite cold. Thunderstorm threatens but misses us. We reach Germany,first hotel 81€ ! Have to go on and find another..still expensive at 62€, near Waging.
Miles 322
Sunday 18th june
Wake up to cloudy skies...whats new? Breakfast included so have it!. Set off about 9.45am. Clouds threaten but situation improves throught day till we are roasting in 33c or so.
Its a busy summer weekend on the german motorways. A few stop/starts, lots and lots of bikes, no british ones for us to see. One british camper van and one coach on the move and some parked up Brits. We have seen no british vehicles for 4 weeks.!(since ukraine border and irish bikes). Camp near Pirmisen west of Landau, not far from Karlsrua Have a swim in a pond/lake. Very brown water but very warm in top 2 feet!
Goodbye to stray dogs, goodbye to wandering cows,goodbye to open grassland, goodbye to herders watching their animals and goodbye to horses and carts. Back in europe with a vengence.
Miles 308
Monday 19th june
Good dawn chorus but slept well in tent. Short rain shower with thunder as we get up. Tent very wet on inside...so warm! Dry it a bit in the sun, pack up and go to Permisens for internet. Find one in a gaming/gambling place that is open . Then off. A lot of roadworks slow the progress, one bit we crawled at 40mph for 16kms. Rain threatens and road is wet now and then but we are lucky. Plod on making good progress and arrive in Calais about 6pm. Stay in a ``village hotel``, like formule 1 but more central and private bathroom. Happened on it by chance. Then had end of holiday meal in Clives favourite fish restaurant. Had whole crab as a first course!
Miles 371. 6683
Tuesday 20th june
Buy some boxes of wine and catch ferry at 11.05am. Sun and cloud but not that hot. Our 4th ferry of the trip.
We finally reach home about 3.30pm. Virtually 7000 miles, 14 countries.
Miles 198 6881 miles
Monday 9th oct
I am beginning to panic about being ready for my off next monday 16th. I have 35 items on my list to do/accomplish and as fast as i do one,another gets added at the bottom. I dont seem to be winning. Clive is in Portugal seeing to his interests there before the off.
We have now got our Sudan visa so we are through to Kenya before having to get more visas.
The weather has really been with us as we have had to work hard clearing up our plum orchard before leaving.
I have seen to other farm jobs while Clive has chainsawed and chipped and mown etc.
The last two mornings I have been up early to begin to make piles of things i wish to bring..
15 Oct Sunday
Today is Clive’s departure day. He leaves this afternoon to go via London and see his children. He meets me tomorrow on the way to Portsmouth.
Whilst Clive has packed his bike without too much drama and managed to tie on his spare tyres very satisfactorily, I have had my setbacks. First some little screw hold fell out of my bike and it took ages and much undoing for me to get it back in. Then I have noticed that the bolt for one of my panniers to sit on and lock to has fallen out. I have not had the panniers on for a while and it must have vibrated out. Whilst not a complete disaster it is important so now my trip to Portsmouth is via Vines of Guilford, a BMW agent . Hopefully they will help and even if no spare part they will have one on a bike in the show room. We have been for an experimental ride ( to get petrol ) all fully laden. My bike then said a light bulb had gone !!. My tyres need re organising.
Mon 16th OCT
Wake early,about 6am. Final things and off at 7.30 after saying goodbye to Gina.
Heading for Vines of Guildford where I am going to meet Clive and get my part/missing bolt. Weather amazing for mid october, as it has been all month. Mind full of thoughts of not coping on sandy roads in Sudan. Of wallowing in muddy holes and getting stuck in river crossings. Of getting my camera wet and also all the things I care about getting wet too.
Get to the ferry, very empty. Its a very dull crossing but time to relax and begin to realise that I really am off at last. Have worked hard for along time to get away. Spent time too on this new phone that I am writing this on . Its not as quick as the ipac but will mean that we can upload to the internet.
Formula 1 for the night . Not easy to find and we drove around in circles for a while. Full of itinerant workers.
17th oct tues
Cloudy but dry. Aiming to do 300 miles. Head towards Clermont Ferand. Begin on red roads ( as per Michelin Map ) but finally leave traffic behind as we enjoy yellow roads. Gradually dawning on me that I am setting off on quite a holiday. Worry about where to hide money. Have a certain amount of dollars for money changing. Shouldnt keep it in one place. Where is a sensible place to hide it? On bike? In belongings.?
Carrying spare/change of tyres. These do not help the balance of the bike. I packed better this morning. The intention is to change tyres in Cairo. My current front tyre has not far to go !
This afternoon practice with my camera mounted on the handle bars. All gadgets need battery charging and this we do on the bikes as well as over night.
Get to Boussac. Its near Montlucon. Hotel full and have to back track to a B and B.
18th oct wed
Its dark at 8.30am and there is a hint of rain in the air. We don our wetgear and set off.We wend our way through the Massif Central on "yellow roads" ( Michelin Map secondary roads) going through Limousin and the Auverne. Finally hit motorway and go over the new Millau bridge and then on to a little place called Gignac , just short of Montpellier. Found a quiet hotel to dry off and unload bikes before the heavens opened.
Bad point today was the high wind and rain on the motorway just after we joined it, I ended up on the wrong side of the road after one gust and we rode in 5th gear for the next hour. Weather a bit on the wild side and still blowing even here. Temp been quite cool ...10c to 20c.
19th oct thurs
Clive keen to be off...ferry to catch! We leave at 8.30am. Rain threatens but it is not raining. The electricity went off while we ate last night; a wild night. Windy still as we make an early arrival in Marseilles. However not the boring wait as I had thought and loading had already begun. Whilst tying up the bikes Ian Baker came to say hello. He is a stranger who we have `met` on the internet. He is doing the same trip as us and we are teaming up to cross Libya together as it reduces the cost for us all. No doubt we will be seeing him some more beyond Libya.
Do I feel I am on holiday? No. Its an adventure but too arduous to be a holiday! We get up about the same time as at home and the first thing we do is pack the bike, lugging panniers and helmets etc between room and bike. Then at the end of the day its the same thing all over again!
Ferry starts late..
20th Oct Friday
Ferries can be dull. This one took about 22 hours. Ramadan meant that there was no food around in between the arab supper and breakfast ....virtually anyway. To keep us occupied we had to go through the immigration formalities on board. Obviously, hopefully, it will save time when we dock. We had to queue in 3 different queues in order to get various bits of paper for both ourselves and our bikes.It took a good hour. By the time we had written our names down on at least 5 different bits of paper and our passport number countless times, we were ready for bed. This all happened in a small space along with a throng of people on this large and well appointed ferry. By the time we got to eat after the hungry hoardes of fasting muslims, there was not much choice of food.
Never thought I would be back to Tunisia within a year. We set off from the port and head for Sousse. Messy,brown countryside. Sheep,prickly pears and olive trees. We pass a ruined but enormous old roman aquaduct. We are now riding with Ian. He has a KTM motorcycle and is also loaded with tyres.
Reach Kairouan. The third hotel suits us; its in our price range! Tomorrow we head for the libyan border.
21 october
We had a good breakfast at our hotel and set off at 9am. Main road but not bad and enjoy seeing chillies drying in the sun; olive trees everywhere; donkeys still being used as important transport;houses like small concrete squares with probably one room and ofcourse flocks of sheep tended by colourful old ladies, old men or the young. Prickly pear hedges everywhere.
We make fair progress but our happiness is thwarted by Ramadan for all cafes are closed and it is not easy to just stop. In Gabes we head for a tourist hotel where we know we will be okay. But it is all through town and very full of traffic and now getting very hot, 34c in motorcycle gear is -- hot.! .
More than well fed we head on towards the border. We cannot cross tonight for we have to meet with our "tour guide" at 09.30 tomorrow am on the libyan side. We head on towards the border but can find no hotel. Plenty of Police checks but no hotels. Clive has been a star all day with his arabic but cannot persuade anyone to give us a bed for the night. Having ridden all the way to the border we had to turn back and camp as best we can, which meant to sleep by our bikes near the border town. Clive had not brought his mattress, so lay his sleeping bag on the stones, whilst Ian and I at least had a basic matress each to rest our sleeping bags on. So we had the wonderful stars to look at and a melody of dogs barking and Donkeys braying! Man who owned the land saw us, came said hello, Clive spoke to him in Arabic and he offered us use of his outside toilet in a nearby house he was building, so he was fine. We were on some hill top. We picnicked on what we had !
22nd oct sat
We were near the edge of town, and had gone along a dirt road to find what we thought was a secluded place to spend the night. Daylight revealed a somewhat less secluded area had been found but at least we had avoided the curiosity of the local children for a few hours... Clive had slept for about an hour and spent the rest of the night night teasing the local dogs or pacing about like a guard on duty whilst I slept like a baby...!. Ian hardly slept any better so eventually I,who had managed much better, was forced to get up at 7am. Cup of tea was brought and to the border.
We got through the Tunisian side and then waited till 9.45am when our driver turned up. Two hours later we were off. The guide and driver had done the hard work! Our bit was to come. We rode 566kms (353miles)between 12 noon and 7.15pm. First Clive and then Ian lost their new number plates. Clive"s I rode over and found but Ian"s was lost. The last day of Ramadan meant no food to be had easily. So we rode after a bad nights sleep with little food or drink. It was very hot for a while in the desert, about 95f or 36c. As dusk approached the driving got absolutely frenetic. its known as the `soup race` everyone racing home to have soup and ` break fast`.. Last day of fasting was nearly over.
Eventually we reach Miserati. Fine hotel and passable meal of mixed grill with some small bird, size of a partridge.
Libya is coming on. Changes since last time only a year ago. More foregn cars. More tourists and more foreign investment. Our youngish guide excited about libyas future. I went to change money after dinner but think I changed too much. Petrol still 7p per litre, much cheaper than water.... Costs £2.00 to fill up the bike, wheras 30 pounds in Burnham Market... Clive exhausted after his sleepless night goes to bed whilst I go and change money..
23rd oct mon.
We are purely traversing libya as a quick way of getting to Egypt. Our progress may seem too fast for enjoyment. However with not much more than desert to look at and straight empty road ahead, we might as well press on. The roads are empty because it is Eid al Fitr (the muslim christmas). Going no more than 70mph, we cover 250 miles by lunch time. The only 2 things of real note are all the rubbish and camels. I do not believe that you can stand anywhere in libya without a piece of rubbish in view. Its terrible, especially the roads in to and out of towns which appear to be used as rubbish dumps for herds of goats to scavenge through at will. We see lots of camels in the desert. Also lots dead beside the road having been hit by a vehicle.
The last time we were here we saw some of the amazing archaeology such as Leptus Magna. This time we are keeping costs down by reducing the number of days on our "tour".
We reach Adjdebayia about 5pm, over 400 miles today so pushing on.... We stay in a new hotel built by oil companies for their clients etc. The weather was not so hot today and stayed below 30c. perfect for riding which we enjoyed, a great ride. Just as we reached the town, Ian realised he had a puncture in his front wheel. He thought he was able to fix it and tried but failed . So we all went in to town in the van to get his tube fixed,and try the internet cafe. That was useless but we got the tube fixed.
24.10.06
Up and off by 8.15am again. Our driver, Mohammed, and the guide, Marwan (think marujana!), are keen that we fill right up with petrol before setting off on a 231 mile stretch of road across desert. No towns and no petrol on this stretch.
It is flat stony desert. Lorry tyres, lorry bits,odd dead camel and various shed lorry loads litter the side of the road. Lorries with trailers tend to go over if the trailer gets a puncture. The loads that never made it seem to be mostly to do with building, bricks, tiles etc.
It is like a sea, the desert flat calm and many mirages, but Clive tells me of what its like when the wind blows and the sad is vicious... just like the sea.. Fine if all going well but a danger when not . 80 miles out we help a pick up truck that had run out of fuel. Our driver syphons some petrol from the van. 3 men,3 women,1 boy and a live sheep are on board. We all take photos of each other. On we go and lo and behold in the middle of nowhere there is a petrol station! We did not feel so remote after that! Later on there was a very overloaded old van full of people and luggage, that had a wheel off.
We reach Tobruk and have lunch. Then on to the border where we say goodbye to our Sukra team. Libya border probably took 1 hour to get through as we have to return our Libyan number plates, whereas the Egypt formalities take over 2.5 hours to get in, bureacracy is a wonderful thing..... although stories abound of people being stuck at the border for anything up to 16 days if their papers are not exactly correct, so we were on the whole remakably quick.
We knew it was going to be bad and that could have been worse.
Egypt went something like this...passport stamped quite easily but then to point A who told us to go to point B..small bike ride. We get some paperwork at B who then says go back to A who says go to C. Then it is C to B and B to C and C to B and all over again. Each time small bike ride and each time with different piece of paper. Clive again a great help with his arabic,especially when Ian could not find his frame number on his bike. (the number has to be pencil rubbed on to a tiny piece of paper to prove that the documents you have are yours and agree with the bike) So eventually off to the gate,more checks and almost sent back as the final guard thought the date stamp placed by his colleague almost three hours ealier said 2004 and not 2006--- Clive gets a bit short tempered and we are free to go.
We arrive for the night in Salloum, only 12 KMs from the border at about 8pm. We knew there was a hotel from our trip last year. Not sure though that they had changed the sheets!! Find internet cafe and very slowly check emails! bed about midnight.
25th oct wed
Just walked back to our hotel in Marsa Matrouh watching some very wild car driving. The Egyptians are still celebrating Eid al Fitr the end of Ramadam. Much car tooting,bangers,shouting etc. Girls dressed up but very many so covered. Before abandoning Libya a couple of statistics. Libya petrol 7p per litre, water 14p per litre and legal speed limit 180kph or 110mph! In Egypt the speed limit is 100kph.!
With no driver in front we enjoy our independence. Clive leading the way we go along the Egyptian coast towards Alexandria. Its still desert. We are on a dual carriageway but the locals treat it as 2 parallel roads. Traffic comes towards you in the fast lane whilst donkey carts head towards you on the hard shoulder. The lack of traffic enables you to cope.
We take an easy day as we begin to enjoy the fact that we are really beginning our adventure. Stop at this place about 2ish and the first thing we did was to have a swim in the beautiful turquoise med. Clear water but plenty of plastic bags and other debris in the water. Rubbish is an egyptian problem as well.
Ian is with us still. He met a couple in the internet cafe today who are on horses. They took 16 days to get through the Egyptian border ( she camped at the customs point whilst he had to go to Cairo to get necessay papers for the horses) and 75 days to get out of Tunisia where they began. They plan to ride by horse to Cape town, Clive is not impressed.!
26th oct thurs
Leisurely start on ride to Alexandria. Still fairly dull desert. Road empty and we make good progress. Fig growing, fig selling but not much else . No sheep,some donkey carts, a few police checks and brown countryside. Only 90 octane petrol to be had but it only costs 13p per litre. One garage tries for more but Clive sees through them! We take photos by the tank at El Alamein . Then things begin to change. Along the road between El Alemaine and Alexandria a huge amount of building has been going on and there are large developments all the way to Alex. To the left the developments and to the right massive earth moving to provide the rock/stone for the housing. There is no thought to how that part of the countryside might look. Those on the left will chuck all the rubbish across the road to the right hand side. Are these for tourism? There is a lovely sandy beach all the way.
We arrive in Alexandria about 2.45pm and find an hotel on the eastern harbour. Seems to be about right. Rush off to see catacombs before 4pm(closing time) but find has shut an hour early because of Eid. We soak up the atmoshere instead in a cafe. Alex is buzzing. Horses pull smart looking carriages for hire whilst cars constantly toot their horns. Muslim girls in headscarves look sexy in tight fitting but long clothing. There are some however covered from head to toe in black. Young children are a pest, in particular the girls, who constantly ask your name. The boys are rough.
We eat our dinner in a street nearby, full of locals. It costs £5 for three of us with 3 coca colas. !
27th Oct Friday
Have second attempt at the catacombs as shut yesterday. As we travel in taxi there we notice the driver did not obey any traffic lights! Catacombs were worth it...quite impressive . They were discovered in 1900 when a donkey with cart fell through to the second level underground. Did the donkey survive!? Hope so. Walking down the road we came across some strange looking sheep. I thought they were deformed but Ian says they were "fat tailed sheep". Got a photo of them.
Then set off for Cairo. Passing Giza on the way in we head for the pyramids. Clive talks the guards into letting us have a photo of bikes plus sphinx . So we ride through the gates and take photo. I then drop my bike getting on it! Bit of a search for the hotel afterwards but got there in the end. Traffic not bad at all as its Friday so a holiday.
Staying in ex british officers club now Hotel Windsor, was used by Michael Palin whilst filming Around the World in 80 days. Is now fairly run down but we have secure parking for the bikes which is vital so we stay. Have a G & T ( or two )in the barrel bar in the evening, very civilised. Going to stay here for 3 nights. Tomorrow we turn our attention to Luxor, Aswan and Sudan....
I am all at sixes and sevens because here I am in Luxor writing these days up from memory since I have had my mobile stolen today here in Luxor. I have been writing my diary on the phone !! I hope the phone is far to complicated for any egyptian to understand !! We hope to be able to continue to write on Clive`s phone whilst I find a replacement or else its pencil and paper and longhand.!!
Sat 28th oct.
Our first day in Cairo. We set off on foot to see to our tickets for the ferry from Aswan. The ticket office had a very long queue . However the usual helper wandered along and then with the aid of a further friend we were soon inside the office and avoided the queue. Not that we intended to do it that way. That is just the way it works. Got the name and number of Mr Saleh who will help us in Aswan. Reserved our spaces and out we went . Pay off one helper to find first helper still hanging around. Wants to taxi us somewhere so we ask him to take us to some street. ! In the afternoon we did the Tutankhamon bit in the egyptian museum. It was very impressive and about all we could take in.
Our hotel is in a back street near a whole lot of cafes and small eating places. The hotel bar is hideously expensive compared with elsewhere so we frequent the not so clean cafe opposite where Clive can practice his arabic and entertain the locals. You can get your boots shined while you sip a rather strange cup of tea. Our bikes are parked across the road and all the locals are very interested in them. They are under 24 hour guard by the hotel. In the evening we catch taxi to go and watch Sufi dancing at the Madrassa al Ghouri; but it has been cancelled. However this is just near one of the street markets. Soon we are in tow behind a man who wants us to just see ...We get led into some filthy alley ways and end up in front of a little "shop"that makes inlaid boxes. I buy one! I am glad I have but neverthe less probably paid too much. It was not expensive however. Back to our hotel where we eat very locally but manage to be served a beer, alcoholic one, by the waiter. The beer is bought round the corner somewhere and brought to our table in a plastic bag...all very undercover. Clive took the opportunity and asked the waiter after he had smelt whisky on his breath.
Ian is still with us as he is staying at this hotel but he is doing other things during the day. We gather together to eat in the evening .
Sunday 29th Oct
Notice when we go out in the morning that Clive`s back tyre on his motorbike has a puncture. Not quite sure how, as it has sat in the same place this last 48 hours. However we have a more important thing to do first; we are off to the Kenyan embassy to see about a visa for Kenya. We take taxi to the address in the Lonely planet guide. Takes a bit of finding and then we are told it has moved...to where? Eventually we get there ( they had luckily kept their phone number). We are told the visa will take 3 days. Little persuasion from Clive and the lady says come back tomorrow at noon. She won`t budge from that! Back to hotel and we take wheel off bike and carry it along the street to a tyre place. They find three holes , one made by a screw. Bit mysterious. Anyway , all mended and we put it back on. We then head back to the Al Ghoura market and have another wander. Find the more touristy area. Wander, mostly looking. Some tourists here. All egyptian sellers always amazed at Clive`s arabic. It is of great help and interest !
Eat at our same cafe with the beer which again arrives almost under the table. All egyptian men are out in the streets watching a football match on cafe tellies. They are seated in rows in the streets.
Monday 30th oct
We pack bikes and leave, to head first for the Kenyan embassy and then out of Cairo and on our way to Luxor. We are leaving Ian behind but may see him in Luxor and hopefully Aswan. Her has to get his Sudanese visa.
Clive gets very ratty in the Cairo traffic. It is not bad but I am blamed for going the wrong way. They have many one way systems so when you go wrong you are swept the wrong way for several streets ! We get to the embassy with plenty of time to spare. Collect visa before noon and are off. We are aiming for the most westerly road that heads south. This is in order to try and avoid the prospect of being put in a convoy by the Nile Police. We get on the right road and do well. It is desert and we are missing all the action of the nile valley. However we can get along much quicker and with out too much bother.We have plenty of nile valley to see yet. There are police checks but we are allowed onwards without problem. We aim for El Minya where we have booked a hotel. Leaving the main road we wander along a lovely side road to El Minya . It is nearly dusk and all the locals are on their way home from the fields. Camels, donkeys, sheep, goats, water buffalo etc . Overloaded donkey carts, overloaded humans too. Many wave to us and we to them. Towns back streets are mayhem: filthy, dirt streets with all sorts of traffic, tooting of horns etc. Close to indian streets but without all the animals. Gradually work our way to the hotel. Very friendly and a good place overlooking the Nile.
Tuesday 31st Oct
Long day ahead as we are trying to reach Luxor which is about 280 miles. Now in the Nile valley on the west bank we stay on this main road thinking it is not worth heading across to the desert road. Slow going as many villages and much traffic. fascinating nonetheles and I take photos from the bike as we go along. Donkeys everywhere carrying all sorts of loads. Tut tuts appear with smart roofs. Horses with very grand looking carriages. each village has a very busy intersection. We make slow progress and the police are not helping. finally at one check they say we have to be escorted. Why? So we have to follow a pick up with police hanging on to the back. However it is only round that particular town..Dariut. Then we are left alone again. At Asyut we decide to head for the desert road again. It is closer. Much better progress and this desert is quite interesting . Has lovely lunar shapes and different colour of rocks. Not a thing is out there..no vegetation, no people except for the few vehicles on our road and no camels etc. Very odd to think that just a few miles to the east is the Nile valley out of sight,teeming with people and life of all sorts.
The road has been extended since my map and we go further than we had hoped. It runs out at Girsa? Back in the valley we are constantly having to go through police checks and eventually the police before Nag Hamm??? stop us and say we have to be escorted. We are still on the west bank which is where we want to stay but the police lead us to a bridge over the nile and tell us we must go over. They do not come. So over we go but head back over the Nile on the next bridge down ! Police check there has no problem with us and we head on ; now into the gathering dusk, but back on our west side. We have no further problems except for the gathering darkness. We have to do about 30 kms in darkness. The egyptians like to drive around at night with their headlights either off or on sidelights. They then flash full beam at you when you get near. Donkeys are still scurrying home as are some tractors. These do not have lights.
Arrive at or hotel. Seems very nice and we celebrate our arrival with a well deserved bottle of very good egyptian wine in the garden. We have arrived on the west bank of Luxor. It is called El Gizera and is the same side as the Valley of the Kings.
Wed 1st Nov
I get my mobile stolen!
Nov 1st Wednesday
The day did not begin that well. Had discovered last night that my camera battery charger would not charge. Currently blaming lead ( couldn`t possibly be charger could it ? ). Absolutely done for without camera battery! I do have two but if I can`t charge either??
Catch ferry across to east bank and Luxor itself. We are off to see Temple of Karnak and get battery charger a new lead. I take public ferry, Clive takes private boat at 3 times the price. We are only talking about 10p versus 30p ! Much hassling the other side but we finally take a horse and carriage of which there are masses. Our driver helps find shop for new lead but charger still does not work. Any way off to the temple. Its a hot day 28/9c. How do people sight see in July /August ??? Our horse is pitifully thin but seems perky enough. Driver stops to buy it food and we encourage him to buy more. Outside the Temple is a camera place and lo and behold they have a fancy universal charger. Leave my spare battery charging while we trip round the Temple. The Hypostyle hall was very impressive with 134 columns. All on a giant scale. Back to camera shop. Charger seems to have worked so buy it after protacted negotiations over how much it should cost. ( they knew I needed it!). Horse and carriage were waiting ( no escape) and he takes us on a circuitous route back to the Luxor Temple. Negotiate price to say goodbye to the driver and then look at Luxor Temple very briefly from the outside! Clive wants to go into the smartest hotel in town so we walk in to the Winter Palace Hotel and pretend to be honoured guests. Very grand! Not my style though. Fending off various sellers we head back over the river.
I had discovered by now that my mobile had disappeared. Not sure how but from out of my bag. It could be worse..like passport or money, or camera. We will replace somehow. Luckily there are two of us and Clive has his mobile which right now is quite precious !
Sightseeing for the day done I spend hours at the internet cafe rewriting diary days lost on the phone`s memory ! Then we research place for our tyre changing which we will do tomorrow.
Catch up with Ian`s news in the evening. He had a very long trip down from Cairo doing Cairo to Luxor in one day. He had had a much worse time with the police who had led him along strange roads. He was in a convoy for some of the way; something we had somehow avoided. Perhaps it was Clive`s language skills again.
Luxor... 1st Nov Clive writes
After a tough ride yesterday we got up late and had a good breakfast in the hotel gardens. Then ventured out for the boat trip across the Nile from our hotel to Luxor town and the Temple of Karnak. Ninas camera battery would not charge so first priority to get a new charger. Arrive at quayside to be met by usual scrum for the ferry. Clive decides to spend extra 20p and hire a motorboat for tne crossing, Nina prefers the local atmosphere and waits for the ferry.
Once across we hire a horse and cart to go round various shops in the dusty streets to find elusive battery charger. After 6 shops we give up and head for the temples of Karnak. Not far out of town, about half a mile are the impressive temples. Spend an hour doing the tourist bit, photos etc and leave. On our exit notice a camera shop... yes it had a battery charger. So return to town happy, and head for old colonial hotel, The Winter Palace. Wander round the hotel, very upmarket, very colonial with manicured gardens, lots of polished wood and brass. Decide against lunch there but go next door to the modern sister hotel and have a buffet lunch. Sit down to lunch and notice Ninas mobile phone is missing... last seen at breakfast and work out must have gone before or whilst on the ferry. So frantic calls on Clives phone to block calls etc.
Nov 2nd Thursday
Slowly sorting out loss of mobile and have got camera battery charged. Weather cooler and it is off to the valley of the Kings. We decide to go on my bike. Its about 10kms. Costs 7 pounds for 2 to get in. Egypt is not expensive. Though the endless back handers probably mount up. We give them a one egyptian pound. No coins here and one egyptian is worth 10p. Think a tenth of the cost back home.
Our tomb ticket says we can go to 3 tombs out of the total. We follow lonely planet advice and go to the three best recommended. Tutankhamun is extra. Each tomb has a keeper who will, with a bit of monetry encouragement, not stamp your ticket ( so you can visit more than your alloted 3) and even allow non flash photos. We are impressed by the art work on the walls, the hieroglyphics ( thanks Bev glad someone is reading this rubbish) Must have been stunning 3000 years ago. They are predominately in blue, yellow, red and done on gypsum plaster.
In the afternoon we are seeing to the bikes...to be continued.
Off we went to the tyre shop We had the tyres and we took off the wheels while the man did the tyre levering. No machine. We attracted a small crowd. Next door ,on the street( everything happens on the street), were men playing dominoes. We were brought pepsi`s. Two hours and £5 later all was done. Off to get petrol....£5 filled both our bikes up and we are ready for tomorrow.
Every time we leave or enter the hotel we are walking down a back street. Ladies in black are sitting in their doorways and children play (or beg!). I spied a donkey inside one doorway but all seems mostly organised inside.I wonder what they think of us?
We are wondering what to do about replacing my mobile phone. We are thinking of sending a packet to Khartuom. We tried to ring a hotel there. International calls are only possible from a phone shop or with a phone card. We ask for a £5 card. Highest denomination they have is £3. We try with that but something wrong with the code or number. It is impossible to find out. This is not England!.
Clive is practising writing on his phone so please excuse any duplication... here goes
Spent the morning touring the Valley of the Kings. Went up on Ninas bike and parked next the police point who were very friendly and as always the first question asked was ` how much` followed by ` are you muslim`. Went into four tombs and was impressed by the size and detail that was in each. Despite these tombs being over 3,000 years old some of the walls and ceilings had detailed hieroglyphics in .colour. The valley itself is compact, each tomb entrance only yards from the next but each disappears maybe a hundred yards deep into the hillside, a real feat of engineering when you think these were dug out so long ago.
We then returned for lunch and spent a couple of hours sorting out e mails and the web site.
Finally returned to our friendly tyre man and fitted the off road tyres which we had carried the 3,600 miles from Burnham Market.We are now set for the gravel and sand roads of the Sudan although they feel very skittish on the tarmac and neither of us enjoy the ride so lets hope they prove to be worth it and save my backside....!
Friday 3rd Nov
We found out last night that there are 3 convoys per day, 7am,11am and 1.30pm to Aswan. Opted for 11am as it is only about 150 miles to Aswan. No new tyres to carry, though are keeping one old one each. Clive is carrying an old back tyre and I carry a front tyre. This is in case of trouble with the new tyres ie that they cannot be repaired, our size tyres are not available here.
Find the start point of convoy. Only 7 vehicles, one bus,2 landcruisers, 2 minivans and us. Start promptly at 11am and off we go straight through all the checkpoints with no stopping, sirens blaring, guns hanging out the police vans etc. It was the only advantage.Our new tyres are rather wobbly. They are knobbly and ready for the dirt roads and feel strange on tarmac.
All stop for a break and we talk to a english couple in one landcruiser and a single dutchman in the landcruiser. He is well travelled. The english cruiser was the first british foreign vehicle we have seen in Africa. Couple are taking 10 months to drive to Cape town. (www.footloose.com). So far they have taken 2 months, as against our three weeks.
After the stop the convoy seems to disintegrate! No police behind and if they were in front we never saw them again. What the perceived danger was is also mystifying.
Sugar cane production has given away to maize and bananas. Vegetables as well. Donkeys carrying greenery not sure if its sugar cane,maize,papyrus or bamboo! Donkeys everywhere! Egrets in the fields just like we have seagulls.
We get good views of the Nile. Its still big and wide swiftly flowing. See an increasing number of feluccas saling along. Probably with tourists aboard.
Reach Aswan and find hotel opposite Elephantine island. Views of feluccas trying to sail in no wind aginst yhe current and going backwards, just like in Overy Staithe. They do have oars!
Sat 4th Nov.
Lovely view from our hotel window to greet us. Breakfast of boiled egg and jam !! Off to the Nile Navigation company for our 10am appointment with Mr fix it ala Mr Salah. We bump into the english couple of yesterday and a swiss couple in a vehicle. We are all after tickets. Mr Salah , the magic fixer is not here, ( surprise surprise) his cousin has died which means he drops his work entirely. However there is a nice man there and we do get our passenger tickets for our 1st class cabin and hopefully reservation but no ticket yet for the motorcycles. We have been advised to get 1st class cabin as the alternative is on deck with all the rest plus livestock etc. The motorbike tickets cannot be issued till we have been to the traffic police and taken in our egyptian number plates and drivers card and swapped them for a piece of thin paper! Then you give the port people this little piece of paper and then we will get the tickets...in theory!
One little hang up still to sort out. Something that Mr Salah was going to do...and that is the little matter of a yellow fever certificate. We were told in England this was not needed. However entry to Sudan requires it. We are hoping that we can buy a certificate at the port. Bit of bacsheesh required. We had been hoping to do it further in advance but this is not possible so it seems, we are assured it can be obtained at the port.
We need to buy a cheap mobile and some empty plastic cans for extra petrol. Clive starts negotiating. He seems to love it. He will go up to some likely individual ( like a coffee seller) and ask where can we get these things. The seller will of course welcome over a friend and very rapidly more people gather as they hear this english man speaking arabic. This time we are soon in a taxi, the taxi driver having been invited over. His taxi is a very old ( 1970s?) peugeot 504. He starts it by touching 2 wires together ( no ignition), key is probably still in France. He grates it into gear ( gear change on the steering column) and slowly we creep off. He drives quite often on the wrong side of the road but we are going so slowly it is not a real problem. I am in the back and Clive in the front. The taxi driver looks as rough as his taxi. In the back there are no window handles and no door handle on one side. On the dash board there is some filthy furry piece of cloth and none of his dials appear to work. However he is being very friendly and kind and we stop at various places/shops looking for secondhand/cheap mobiles and plastic cans. We loop round all the filthy dirt back streets of town and end up back where we started having not quite succeeded. We pay off the driver, who wants a double of course, and watch him try and start his car again. The starter and battery appear to be dying together !! We walk off and more negotiating /chatting by Clive in the petrol station rewards us with 2 empty 4 litre old oil cans and one 20 litre empty oil can. Buy 10p of petrol to swill around them and the residue is chucked into an open 40 gallon oil drum! The garage forecourt is covered with diesel so walking is a careful affair, and requires very close attention when entering on a motorcycle; yesterday on one bend from Luxor the road was awash with diesel apart from a metre wide track on the far right which fortunately we were near to.
We really had wanted two 10 litre cans but these will do. Back to hotel and then off to the Traffic police by bike. I forget my plastic Egyptian I.D card and have to repeat the journey. Back at the traffic police Clive has been keeping the entire police force happy with his banter in arabic, Clive and the Captain exchange salutes, we get our piece of paper which we are assured is all that is required by the port authorities to allow us out, and depart .. so lets see if they are right on Monday.....
We then find an internet cafe. It`s in the back streets and upstairs but everything works.
In the evening we meet with Ian and have a meal together on the edge of the river. We exchange news on how we are managing with our tickets etc.
Sunday 5th Nov.
Decide some sightseeing is called for as well as getting some washing done and the internet. Bought a new Nokia phone from a one of the hotel guys last night so that problem is out of the way for the moment. took a while puzzling how to get the english language on it!
Catch ferry to Elephantine island , walk through authentic Nubian village to the other side, walk along the shore line via various bits of local rubbish., sheep, water, burnt palms etc till we reach where we think there should be another ferry. Men in rowing boat offer their services and after Clive has negotiated we are rowed across to Kitcheners island. Was quite a hard row as against a good fresh wind. Kitcheners tropical paradise is a bit of a disappointment to me as not as lush and wonderful as I had been led to believe by the usually accurate lonely planet guide book. Then we have to negotiate a ride back!! Finally catch rowing boat back to Elephantine in order to sail onwards in a Felucha. We walk along the island again till we reach the small Felucca that we are going to sail in towards the first cataract that Clive particularly wants to see. The wind is good and we have a good sail with our Nubian boatman. We go up to Seheyl island. There the current is really swirling. I would not like to swim there. We head back to Aswan.
Tonight we will meet with Ian again and then tomorrow its ferry day. Aswan to Wadi Haifa... next update from will be from Sudan...
We have made it to Khartoum after 4 hard days covering 1000 kms . The worst aspect was probably the sand...
Nov 6th Monday
Ferry day! Ian comes to our hotel to join us and the three of us head off to Aswan port Clive in the lead. The road takes us from the east bank of the Nile to the west bank over the original dam built by the British about 1900 and then finally back to the east side over the new High dam. We begin border negotiations. Backwards and forwards but we are relieved when we are able to buy the motorbike tickets. Still no carnet man though and we wait for about an hour watching the goings on.Eventually the senior man arrives, greets Clive like a long lost friend and then searches every file and every drawer in the office looking for the stamp. Fortunately he finds it in an envelope and sits. The Sudanese do not travel lightly. Everything including the kitchen sink! They seem to be all into the export business.Finally our man turns up and we are sorted with out further ado. Clive in the meantime has been enrolling the services of a quiet Sudanese who is hopefully going to facilitate our lack of yellow fever certificate. His father will be in W H..
We then get our bikes and head towards the boat. It is moored such that there are two barges in between. Lorries are parked end on to the barges and their loads are being unloaded by hand. The scene is one of frenetic activity. Porters are carrying loads everywhere on their backs and shoulders: into the boat and into the hold of the nearest barge.Chaos! However we are led aboard and our cabins pointed out. Seem okay but no locks on the door. And where are the bikes going? Not into the hold of a barge along with all the sacks and cardboard boxes, surely? No, we are lucky: we are told they are destined for the passage way of our passenger boat. They are going to be with us. This is good news. For the moment we must sit and wait while the barges are loaded. They then get out of the way and then our bikes will be loaded. But what of the landcruisers? We know the Swiss arrived in the port but we can see no sign of them now. Nor can we see where any vehicle is going to fit on these small barges. Three might but no more.
Bad news later. Bikes have to go on barge. We watch the barge fill up all afternoon. We are getting very anxious about where our bikes will go. There are 3 obvious spots for 3 vehicles but only gangway on a lean for our bikes. Clive pesters away and has a spot in mind. Finally he gets his bike and forces it on board. Then mine next near Clives. Both have to be manhandled into position. Ian hangs back and finally makes it on. We think the barge is fully loaded but people and lorries with endless loads keep turning up and the porters work hard carrying it on to the barge or the boat.The hold of the barge fills and boxes, bags, sacks, washing machines, TVs keep being piled onto the top until we have two precarious mounds. Any swell and they will go overboard. We fear our bikes will be buried but can only watch, worried in the gathering dark as more and more is piled on top of the pile that began in the bottom of the hold. Finally the barge casts off after the 3 landcruisers are squeezed on sideways.5 vehicles had booked with tickets. 2 have been told they have to wait tilll next week... bet they`re pleased....
On board we are thankful for our cabin, 1st class, but more like 3rd in comfort! It is a sanctuary from the huge number of people on board. There are people and bodies everywhere. Top deck is infested, perhaps 100 people lying down up to the next person. Loos already stink and we havent set sail yet, and we hope the food did not poison us. Dark by 5.15pm it will be an early night. We still have not left by 7pm. Clive has found out that 4 bus loads of late arrivals on board have been deported from Libya....with all their belongings! There are sofas on the top deck that are travelling with someone! They got hauled up over the outside of the railings, up the side of the ship! Some cabins are piled high with luggage whilst owners sleep on the deck.All this on a boat far,far smaller than a cross channel ferry boat, Clive discovers it is supposed to carry 200 passengers, but we have over 500 on board... must call Health and Safety....
We depart just after 7.15pm, into the darkness of Lake Nasser, a beautiful evening with a full moon. Where`s the bar....Don"t worry about that...just hope the captain can see all the islands and rocks in the dark.
Tuesday 7th nov
We went to sleep early there being nothing else to do on this crowded boat. I slept ok but Clive not.
Discovered 1st class had its own dining area. Don"t think grand! We had some breakfast. Brown beans,flat bread,one boiled egg,salad. Sounds good but not really. This was after visiting the loo. Many,many more men on board so male loo not good according to Clive. Mine okay but squat was squalid to begin with.
Every nook and cranny of this boat is full of belongings even the passport office, where we have to hand in our passport, is full of televisions . The "passport office" is a cabin!
We pass Abu Simbel at a distance and then the boat stops and toots. We are on the official border.A small immigration vessel draws alongside and 3 men leave us, perhaps with our passports, all passengers have surrendered their passports to be collected on the quayside in Wadi Halfa....
Clive met the Captain, a wiry Sudanese man dressed in traditional Sudanese clothes, no cap or uniform you wouldnt think him anything more than a passenger but all on the bridge stood in awe of him. When he wanted the viewing area by the entrance to the bridge cleared, it was done in an instant, without the usual nonsense.
We arrived about lpm. We had to first get a piece of paper fom the man holding our passport in order to be allowed off the boat. There were 521 passengers on this small boat so this took at least an hour before all were done. We were some of the first ashore but probably some of the last out of the immigration area. It took ages to be reunited with our passports. Lots of beaurocracy and backwards and forwards. By this time all the foreigners/europeans were in a heap together. 5 from the landcruisers,1 french cyclist,1 Newzealand backpacker (older guy), 1pretty young female japanese girl who had travelled overland from Japan to here, and us 3 motorcyclists.
There were also 4 austrians and 2 italians who were hiring cars from Wadi. Their tour company rep was very helpful to us all.The sudanese appear very friendly and helpful.
Eventually we all loaded,11 of us,into a landrover. Gina need have no fears. Her landrover is a hundred times better than these landrover taxis. The doors dont shut,a window fell out, no dials work etc!
Our "hotel" is a collection of mud huts inside a compound. The eleven of us share 3 rooms. 4 females go together!. There is sand on the floor and 4 truckle beds. The loo is a shed with a hole the size of a drain pipe in the earth floor. No water except in a fetch yourself bucket from nearby.The shower is a shed with a door where you can privately tip a bucket of cold water over your head.
We eat together with the dust blowing all around. My hair is probably thick with dust. It is not cheap. 3 times the price of Egypt we think. Electricity will go off at midnight and begin again at 10am.
We really hope the barge arrives tomorrow. Two nights here will be quite enough!
Wed 8th Nov
I am writing this as Clive and Ian try and wash out some empty plastic cans they have bought by a water tank in our hotel compound. I have just swilled out a loo before using it! This morning I must have been lucky.
Last night our meal was presented without cutlery. There is none. Its bread and fingers. Breakfast was in the cafe . It was omelette inside bread in our fingers. That was okay.
Clmbed a small hill to get the view and the the of the land. There is a christian bit and a nubian bit who do not talk to each other and are about half a mile apart.We have to register with the police. This is done with the aid of our helper. We hang around. Its windy and sunny. Not too hot which is good.
Good news...the barge has arrived We get a ride in a pick up to the port. The bikes are okay and manpower lifts them, one by one ,down from the barge which is floating 1 to 2 ft higher than the quay.
Off to customs. Only carnet to do but it takes for ever. Finally done. It has taken about 55 dollars to get the bikes in! Then to hotel where we re pack and work out how to carry extra fuel ,water etc.We are apprehensive about the road. We have ridden slowly from the airport on a sandy road but we made it!
The landcruisers took much longer as they could not be lifted down. They had to wait for the barge to move up the quay.They only just got them before dark.
We all eat together in the dark at the cafe.The electricity has failed for the whole town. The dust blows! We have to go off and get some torches. Enterprising sudanese come round selling windup torches which we all buy. We eat with our fingers in darkness. Stars look good.! Once all the torches have been sold ,the electicity comes back on. Chance or what
Thurs 9th Nov
We were up at 6am, eager to be ready with the first light. Off at 7am. We have 200kms (120m) to do on sandy and corrugated roads.Up in the sky are 4 large birds of prey/vultures. We begin by not quite choosing the right track. Bit of wasted time but after that it was not a problem to find the road. Ian soon prooved himself on his KTM. He could go faster than we wanted or could go. I was the slowest! I dropped my bike once in the sand and Ian had a little problem too. I have been on much rockier roads but never on such horrible corrugations. That lasted for about 150kms.!
We carried extra fuel and water. It was desert:hardly any people or animals. No houses, very empty. Hot. Not as I had expected from the map which shows us following the Nile. I had thought I would at least see some greenery!
After 80miles we did finally find the Nile and then a few villages. Smart mud walled compounds. Really quite well looked after. Very straggly villages and nice waving people. I get tired hands and wrists: Clive gets an aching back but Ian has whizzed ahead of us!.
But we make our destination,Abri. It is an untidy place beside a very brown coloured,fast flowing Nile. Our hotel is interesting!. We are the only guests. We are expected to share a room. I find that strange. One woman,one older man, and a young man. The loo is a wee bit better than our last one . Our room has a sand floor. We cannot find a place to eat so with our 2 stoves we make some kind of meal on a table in the sandy courtyard outside our room, from food bought in the town. Very limited choice. We feel like 3 dirty cowboys walking up the dirt street.
The one light in our room does not have a switch. It came on as it got dark. When will it go off? Locals play dominoes and Clive is chatted to by a Sudanese man who speaks very good english. Ian and I write our diaries. We have had a hard day and we have a similar day ahead of us tomorrow.
Friday Nov 10th
Up early and off at 7am. Another long bumpy day ahead. Trouble finding right road again and Ian gets stuck trying to cross some cultivated desert land as we correct ourselves. We push him out.
We have sandy patches, corrugations,villages with smiling people,glimpses of the Nile, rocks,sand and more sand, mountains with sand against them looking like snow. At first we got along well and even got into 3rd gear but then we hit some patches of sand and sandier surfaces.Ian rides through the sand more easily than us as his bike is over 100 KG lighter than Clives and 50KG lighter than mine but we are growing in confidence a bit! Too much could be dangerous! The people want us to wave. I have to take care,look at road first..."can I lift my hand" if so wave and look at them or wave and keep eyes on road or if conditions do not allow a wave then shout "hello"
So far we have ridden about 250miles in two days or 16 hours riding all of it in 1st 2nd or 3rd gear. The bikes are absolutely covered in sand but appear to be coping well despite the temperature guage often disappearing into the Red zone.
We see ahead our landcruiser friends! We are trying to make Dongola for the night but progress has been slower than we hoped and but it seems too far and we are persuaded to camp with the landcruisers. There are no hotels! We end up by the 3rd cataract of the Nile. All the children from the village come. Clive is lent a mattress to sleep on by one of the landcruisers which is squeezed into our tiny tent. We have hardly any food. There are hardly any shops! The brits give us some couscous and I make tuna and tomato mixture! We do have stove and saucepan and a teaspoon each. So we are advancing from the eat with hands situation.
We are all dirty. Not many washing facilities around. We also need power to charge things. My phone which was stolen could charge on my bike but Clive has no car charger for his. My camera battery needs a plug too.! However we have a good night camping
Saturday Nov 11th
Break camp and off towards Dongola. It has hotels and things! We are searching now for a ferry to cross the river. Have to constantly ask " where are we, where is the ferry?" We thought it was at Kerma as per the map but when we arrive the locals say not here better at Argo. On to Argo then on this sandy side. The other side is more stony apparently, and therefore better for us. Clive and I are not fond of this sand! We are improving a bit. When the sand is not too deep its a bit like off piste skiing...easier if you can make your own track. Otherwise its a bit like ice skating...bit of a miracle that you are standing. The theory is to accelerate if your front wheel begins to wobble. "put on some power" and the bike will straighten up. It does! But it takes some confidence. Sand is soft though and in deep sand your handlebars have no effect on your steering whatsoever, so better get your line right to start with ... or prepare to pick it up....
We find the ferry in the end and go down an earth bank on to a muddy ramp to board a tiny boat. It takes 3 pick ups and us plus people. Nile is muddy looking and very fast flowing. On the other side the road is better and we get along faster. As I work my way out of a sandy patch I look up and find Clive parked and waving. He is standing on tarmac! Fantastic and soon in Dongola where we find a hotel. We thought we could get the use of a shower but hotel wouldnt. So we ate instead and washed in the loos there which were the most reasonable we had seen for days.
We then headed on. Prospects were some tarmac, 60 kms of sand, then tarmac again. At the end of the tarmac the landcruisers found us. Luke the dutchman was then some help and led us across stony desert on the right handside of the new road being constructed. To the left was the sandy road. Good for a while then down to new road under construction. We were allowed to go on it and vehicles not. We then spent the rest of the day bobbing on and off this road. It was the best place for us. Every now and then we had to go on the sandy road or we had to negotiate piles of gravel placed across to stop cars. These were sometimes quite fun and a challenge. Ian was always out in front. Clive got stuck once trying to sqeeze round and so did I. I also during the afternoon dropped my bike twice, once in sand and once negotiating on and over one of these piles of gravel.
We made it to Abu Dom. Actually we by passed it because we found tarmac again. We have ended up in a roadside cafe where we have made our own meal on our stoves, and rented some outdoor beds. There is a cold water tap used for the nearby Mosque and some disgusting loos. But we are fine and our bikes are beside us. People helpful and friendly.We have ridden about 180 miles today mostly through soft sand so feel pleased with our efforts and looking forward to tomorrow where we are promised about 320 kms of tarmac and only 50 kms of sand... lets see and then Khartoum and a hot shower and a loo with a flush... bliss.
Nov 12th Sunday
Bliss, oh heavenly bliss I have at last been able to wash my hair after a whole week. My curly hair was tangled and thick with dust!. We are in the Al Firdous hotel in Khartoum, supposedly 4 star, but divide that by 4 to get an accurate picture, the price however is 4 star.
We began bright and early again...the three of us...to try and reach Khartoum. Should be tarmac all the way though there were rumours of a gap. We have 250 miles about 400 KMs to do. Going faster its colder, 15c when we set off, and it is also windy which is making the sand swirl across the road. We have left the Nile and are heading south across more desert. Not much out here.
There are gaps in the tarmac, many! The road is under construction in parts and we are all expected to take to the desert. But we three bikes are allowed to travel on the construction surfaces over and round their piles of gravel like yesterday. Now and then we have to go off as well onto the sandy track but we keep our eyes on the road and the moment we can get back on it , we do. Across deep sand sometimes. Clive also got embedded in deep sand and had to remove all panniers to pull the bike out with the beginning of the tarmac in sight.
As we near Khartoum the desert becomes greener and there are camels,donkeys,large termite mounds and goats. Colourful people wander on either side. The Sudanese have all come across as friendly and helpful so far. Many can speak English, some of them quite well.
We come to Omdurman. It is seething...traffic,souk. goats. donkeys. cats you name it but we plough through with horns blaring and arms gesticulating to move over. Really it is the beginning of Khartoum, so nearly there. Head for planned hotel. the Gobaa as recommended by lonely planet. Traffic very bad. more like London in the rush hour but without any order. Clives bike gets so hot the temperature guage disappears off the Red so he eventually stops to let it cool a bit. I try and go through what looks like a puddle but realise that it is very deep too late and over I go bike and me, like a horse and rider at a water jump. Absolutely filthy water. No real problem apart from embarrassment, wet clothing, wet boot (it was deeper than the top of my boot) and a broken indicator. People helped to pick it up and luckily I managed to ride it out. Clive had disappeared into the traffic looking for the hotel. So sopping wet I waited and waited for him to find me. The intercom system worked for a while but then didnt. It doesant like buildings. Eventually we found each other and even later a hotel with hot water. The hotel claims to be 4 star but has a comfortable bed and working bathroom so we are relieved and colapse into the bath.I was very relieved to get out of my wet and dirty clothes. We have made it across our first real hurdle..Wadi Halfa to Khartoum.
monday nov 13th
Having got ourselves and belongings clean last night, we have plodded and taxied the filthy, dusty streets of Khartoum for the better part of the day. I write this sitting in the Humanitarian Aid Commission. We are waiting .for one more stamp on a travel permit. One man upstairs could stamp it we feel...now. We have gone from building to building in various dirty parts of Khartoum to get this far. We have had to go back out to get 4 copies of 3 different pages of our passport and 3 copies of the form.
Walking along to get the photocopies we step over various hazards on the dirt pavement: round a car being mended with the mechanic underneath in the dirt: round people sitting on plastic chairs eating or drinking out of filthy containers: past an old combi van, now not moving and side door gone, but with a deepfreeze inside and trays of eggs for sale at the back: past a lady selling cups of tea from a doorstep and through piles of rubbish. Traffic is busy in the streets and cross road discipline is not heard of.
We sat for nearly 2 hours and nearly got it but another person in another building has to stamp something so its a question of back tomorrow. Plan now is to leave tomorrow when we are done.
We got back to hotel and organised an oil change for the bikes a few yards down the road. So on the pavement of a main street our oil was changed with attendant oil spillages etc. All waste oil hygienically disposed of a few yards away on the edge of the road in some container sitting inside a pile of tyres. The container was overflowing before our oil was added. We added the cardboard boxes of the filters to this oily pile!
When out in the dust and sand ,Clive had suggested we all meet at the bar in the Hilton in Khartoum at 6pm. Because our oil change took longer than expected (Clive"s bash plate to blame) we were a bit late. The drinks were Pepsis...no alcohol has been on sale in Sudan since 1983. We said goodbye to Ian who is taking a different route in Ethiopia and to Werner and Claudia our Swiss friends from the desert. We may meet again on the way...who knows.
Tuesday 14th nov
We left Khartoum at 11am after 2 taxi rides to get our travel permits finalised. They cost US$40 each! Hope they look at them ,
The traffic in Khartoum can be heavy but the drivers are quite calm and there is no frantic tooting. They do disobey the traffic lights when they can but all in all its not too bad. Khartoum is not a huge city but it is dirty and dusty...
We take the main road south, which is infact the main road linking Port Sudan with Khartoum. It is busy with large trucks , buses, pick ups ,a few private cars and landcruisers and us!. Wandering animals especially goats and donkeys are a worry.
Things improve when we take the left turn at Wad Mendani. Its us and the large trucks mainly. These large trucks are like double articulated lorries. One unit/engine pulls 2 trailers, each as long as our articulated lorries. The drivers are considerate and we do not have problems with them. The road is a bit bumpy in parts and we remain watchful for animals and potholes.
Today is the hottest day we have had. It reaches 40c ! I am glad that we have been on the move because it helps!
The road is almost straight and we are on a huge plain...fertile if it had more water. Gradually more crops are seen and maize in particular. Herds of cows,goats and flocks of sheep and finally I see my first real african village of round mud houses with peaked straw roofs.
We reach Gedaref before dark which was good going and have to opt for a "bad value for the money" hotel . The next hotel down was a real step down looking like a hostel and had a bucket as a loo. I just did not feel like it. It was filthy and full of men. There were padlocks on the doors.! So back to the expensive one.
Clive noticed and killed a cockroach on the bedroom floor. We then went don to eat. Clive went off to check the food in the kitchen and came back saying lets go and get a schwarma. Off we go and find its quite a town! We eat a good schwarma in a place crawling with cockroaches. There were even 2 climbing around on the sweetmeats inside the glass counter! We find an internet in a rough building and afterwards holding each others hand walk back in the dark. There are street lights but they are not working.
Nov 15th
We finally get out of town at 8m after getting petrol and water. The road is not busy. Tarmac,us and herdsmen everywhere. Its a flat savannah like plain. Good looking crops of maize and large herds of cows and flocks of sheep. Herdsmen on donkeys or camels or walking. Hot again, its 30c by 8.30am Traditional round straw roofed houses dot the landscape and many people are walking by the road. Colourful ladies with loads on their heads.
The road becomes one of constuction and then finally a dirt road. We slowly make it to the border. The border is rough. Dirt road full of holes,masses of small lorries,people and goats everywhere. Fomalities though are not long and soon through. Ethiopian side just as chaotic and immigration is in a colourful mud hut. Carnets are dealt with 37kms down the road. We set off on a gravel road in the heat and dust.. A very small building heralds the customs post. We are told "wait till 3pm". Its 1pm. In fact a sit down is nice but we say (Clive says)" we have to get on". In the end we do not wait so long and all is done. No extra bits of paper.
Our gravel road is just that. In parts its thicker gravel and in parts "Chinese tar" ie baked mud which makes a good road if dry. We are not so fast in thick gravel. So on we go at speeds between 20mph and 40mph. Traffic coming towards us leaves us enveloped in dust.I am hanging back from Clives dust cloud as well. Overtaking ( seldom luckily) is in a dust cloud till you come out the other side so we are totally blind for a few seconds and thus unable to see the road and any sudden hole. On one occasion as Clive emerged from such a cloud he was met by two donkeys walking up the road...
Every now and then we see the remains of a crashed lorry. One is recent and lots of people are salvaging the load.....sesame seed. The wrecks are the result of losing control somehow....l
We wave and wave. Lots of people walking along the roadside and masses of children in every village. The road climbs to 2200m and it is pretty. We see trees for almost the first time since France. A windy road, a pass and an almost alpine air. We are done with desert! The local housing goes from round straw roofed to square and the walls from mud to upright tree trunks. Later these are then plastered over with mud. Larger tin roofed houses appear looking quite alpine. People very smiling very friendly waving vigorously as we pass by.
We make it to Gondar. Long day. Some local boy climbs on top of Clives luggage and directs us to hotel. Not sure how Clive managed to ride his bike. It looked perilous from behind.
We eat nearby. Various dishes of spicy sauces and some extraordinary bread. It is green and comes all rolled up . It looks like lava with holes. Its soft and flat. Very mysterious.
Thurs nov 16th
Our young friend from last night comes round as we pack the bikes. He is called Dude. He is obviously bright and has picked up languages from tourists. Not at school though.Clive buys him a T shirt. We take picture of the castle before leaving and head south. Beautiful, sweeping tarmac road makes for great motorbiking. Virtually no traffic and lovely scenery. This lasts for about 90 miles we then fill up from the local syphon from a drum and stop for a pepsi. We are swarmed over by hundreds of children and appoint one to stand guard of the bikes. After a brief stop and distribution of small gifts we manage to escape. We then take a gravel road to Lalibela. Lalibela is where there are churches hewn out of the rock. We have both been told we must see them. But its 160 miles of gravel road with no hotels on the way. Clive now thinks its not worth it. I keep my thoughts to myself. I am trying to be optimistic. Maybe the gravel wont be too bad...maybe we will get tarmac after a while...maybe it will be less far.....I would like to see this place since everyone says we should but 160 miles of gravel road with all the dust is very daunting. We set off, full of petrol. Its not great, infact the road is very poor in patches and we hit deep holes and large stones. Its hard work and we get covered with dust when lorries come the other way. The scenery is stunning. We climb to about 3000 metres and stay between 2500 and 3000m. The countryside is different shades of green. A patchwork of small fields. Big eucalyptus often line the road otherwise the ethiopians have denuded their country of trees. They seem to be felling the last 10% right now.
People walking along the road: with donkeys: with cows:with sheep:with an umbrella held up as a sunshade: with warm cloths round their shoulders and men in shorts....we have not seen men in shorts since europe. This country is not totally muslim . We can have alcohol again!
All males seem to carry a walking stick. It is used for herding and for carrying things. It is held across both shoulders , behind the neck.
We actually get along quite well though the bumping and the dust are tiring. Huge concentration needed as our wheels are constantly jumping around. Some places you can touch 40mph,others its below 20mph. Large stones,potholes and animals make us ever watchful. Donkeys are the worst...they can suddenly veer. We take 6.5 hours to cover the 160 miles.We get to Lalibela exhausted and find the Lal hotel where we request a beer before registration We eat early . More of that strange bread stuff.....
Friday 17th nov
Breakfast of omelette and toast and then off to the hewn churches...the sole purpose of being here. On the tourist trail! Our hotel is at the bottom of the hill. We trail up hill to the ticket office. We are not hounded particularly thank goodness. Appoint an official guide and off we go. 11 churches to see. Guide fine but I am not that interested in the religious bit. I like looking at the construction, where they are, the tunnels etc. We have to run the gauntlet of the poor,old,maimed etc as we move from one group of churches to another. ( Clive says : The problem here as with Tunisia, Libya, Sudan and Egypt is one of over population and the burgeoning population growth. No one is addressing this issue for fear of causing offence but unless and until they do the situation of poverty, polution, corruption and ultimately extremism will only get worse.) We do 3 hours which is good going and then collapse with a pepsi. Discovered that Lalibela is also famous for its bees and hence honey and "tej" (mead). We decide to give the Tej a bash tonight and in the meantime head off for the nearest internet cafe.
In the afternoon we decide to change some dollars and look for fresh milk so head up into town on my bike. Clive is riding with me on the back and notices my rear brake is not working at all.
I take out the brake pads and put oil on the pistons and leave over night. Dare not try to pump the pistons in case I can"t push them back in. Cannot totally dismantle as we do not have brake fluid.
Sat 18th nov
Wake up after a not such a good nights sleep. Stomach not quite right! Put brake back together but it did not work. Apart from my back brake I have a broken front indicator cover and I have lost my back mudguard altogether. It sheared one of the three bolts holding it on and the other 2 brackets broke off. Its must be lying somewhere in the gravel.
Today we have for sure 109kms of gravel. It turns out however to be greatly more than that. Not 109 kms to the main road but 107 MILES. However tarmac beckons and we have nice breakfast/lunch at midday.lI
But the tarmac with numerous potholes only lasts for about an hour. We are mortally disappointed and Clive gets very pissed off. He had been looking forward to a days ride on tarmac with sweeping bends and great views like the road we had from Gonder. Instead we had 150 miles of gravel and stones. I must mention birds. Up until this country we had been in desert lands and not many birds around for us to see. But here with the varied vegetation I am beginning to see some very colourful birds. I am using Ginas book to look them up in.
The different hues of green, the patchwork of fields and the varied vegetation on the beautiful peaks and hills, make the country very lovely. We left Lalibela at 2300m, went up to about 3500m ( very cold) down to 1800m and up again etc. Spending night in Kombolcha at 1800m.
People are walking everywhere. With loads on their heads or backs, many barefoot, with animals of all sorts (now including camels), with their babies, with friends. Big cows, indian style, with enormous horns walk sedately, usually with a collection of sheep or goats. Donkeys and camels carry loads, not people. Very smart horses are occasionally seen with rider. Some towns have horses pulling carts made from wood with car tyres and axles.
The road is a very busy place and we have to give it full attention. Potholes, animals, trucks,people and bends! The lack of tarmac means we are constantly in a dust cloud from a truck or bus, particularly on this main road.
We find a hotel fot the night. Its not great but will do.
Sunday 19th nov
We went to bed about 8pm! So up at 6.30am was not a problem! Beautiful morning in the countryside and already everyone is out and about. Our tarmac improves dramatically all paid for by the EU. Smart tarmac with smooth surface and no potholes . This lasts for about 100 miles and ends as we climb up and over a pass. More road construction and I drop my bike trying to navigate some rough and loose stones. Only a short bit and I was annoyed with myself. Poor bike has now got both front indicator glasses broken.
The people are gathering in either peas or beans. Left to dry and then loaded onto a donkey and taken off to be threshed out by hand. Saw cattle being used to thresh corn. They were just being made to stomp around in one spot. Sheaves of corn are also transported by donkey.
Its cold at the top of the pass and people by the road try and sell us nice looking warm hats.Up here I think that Ethiopia must look a bit like Peru. But I have never seen Peru so it is the Peru of books!
We finally stop for lunch in a hotel. It looks like a single storey shack!..I try firrifir...I discover that it is with the ethiopian bread.. Not sure that this ethipian bread agrees with me. Clive has already made his mind up...it looks like tripe...umm. Sometimes it has been offered looking green....I say no more... Ethiopia has a proper cuisine. We have tried "thibbs" and now "firrifir". They come in various forms.!
We stay at 2800m for the afternoon ,only coming down a bit as we come into Addis Abbaba.(height about 2300m). Clive does his usual "I hate the centre of big towns" routine but we arrive at a good hotel as recommended by Lonely Planet guide. Time for a rest and a day off.
Monday 20th Nov
At rest in Addis to sort Ninas rear brake and catch up with e mails etc
Nov 25th Saturday
We had a good breakfast and leisurely start . Bikes had been cleaned which was nice. It was hot and sunny. We are now very near the equator and will go over it /through it, this morning. Off we go to Nannuki. The hotness soon disappears as the road climbs round Mount Kenya. The locals are busy in their fields and by the roadside where even the verges are cultivated with potatoes. Instead of donkeys the good old bicycle is the preferred form of transport and we see many a bicycle loaded with three bags of potatoes. They must be very sturdy and have a strong frame. They are often being ridden as well. In Nannuki we stop for a while and do internet. Then on to Nyeri. Clive has a certain destination in mind, the Outspan Hotel where he came in his youth. Clive’s father was in the hotel business. Rain threatens and we put waterproofs on…myself completely and Clive only his top. He gets soaking wet as it rains heavily before we reach our destination. Nearing Nyeri we see what I think are Coffee bushes. The green countryside is very pretty and Jacoranda trees are in bloom. The hotel is reached and a price for the night negotiated. This was the home of Baden - Powell for three years and he is buried a short distance from the hotel. A small annexe to the hotel is a museum to him and the scout movement. The garden is very nice. We are on the edge of a national park.
Nov 26th Sunday
More rain in the evening but we wake up to a good view of Mount Kenya from our balcony , across the very lovely garden of this , the Outspan Hotel. Can at last see its peak. It is about 5700m high which puts Mont Blanc to shame. Its also funny to think that we are at 1800m which is higher than Val d`isere ( Gina note!) It means that the weather has been very pleasant usually but sometimes cool as we climb higher.
This we do after breakfast when we head off to see where Clive lived for the first 10 years or so of his life....in Nyahururu ( Thompsons Falls). The falls look good and we take a steep path down to the river. Pictures taken and it was a hard climb back up with much puffing and panting from Clive and myself. Clive showed me all around.
Then off to Nakuru for the night and hopefully internet that does not cost 30p per minute!
Countryside green, hilly, full of valleys; moorland up high is quite cool and it rains again. Villages are dirty looking places with a line of shack shops etc each side. Tarmac road runs through the middle but it is dirt on each side and in side streets. People everywhere...many on bicycles with either a load of veg etc or a person on the back rack. These back racks must be strong..one had 2 people on it. The cyclists must be fit too as this is not flat countryside.
As I write this in an internet cafe it has started to deluge outside...we cannot go anywhere at the moment!!!
Nov 27th Monday
We began the day early by visiting the Nakuru National park. The hopeless bunch that we had picked to guide us turned up in a jeep that did not have the right entrance ticket for the park; so we had to change into an ordinary car ! However in the end we saw a good variety of animals and birds. We did see a lion sleeping ..but only just, and we did see a leopard asleep on a tree branch. White rhino and black etc. No elephants as not in this park. Clive was disappointed but then he has seen some of the best !!
With rain threatening , again, we rode our bikes up hill on a dirt road for 5 miles to see over the edge of the Menengai crater. I was dead worried it would rain and I would never make it back down on slippery red mud.But it did not rain and at the top we found a large signpost with mileages to place round the world. The view down into the crater was good.
Poor Clive was suffering from a head cold today and not feeling tremendous. He lead us steadily down the hill and then off onto the main road to Nairobi. This should have been an easy ride according to the map. About 100 miles on tarmac. But the tarmac was at first so bumpy that it made the road between Fakenham and Burnham Market seem flat as a pancake. Then we had a better bit and then it deteriorated into a muddy construction road with lorries coming up the hill getting stuck. We picked our way gingerly downhill ! Finally approached Nairobi and headed to a westerly suberb called Lavington where there is a place called Jungle Junction run by a german. We had booked a room there. Turned out he had let the room but had found us somewhere else to stay. It was fine…Didi’s .
I was going to see if the german..Chris could do my back brake ,,,which is still not working. He could, but not till the next afternoon. We contacted the Wainwrights at this stage . He is Patsey Seymour`s cousin who has very kindly agreed to look after our bikes while we pop back to Britain for a few days to “ see to things”.
It poured with rain again in the night.
Nov 28th Tuesday
Had decided that first priority was to book flight home so off to a travel agent in a very well guarded shopping centre. I am slightly dumbstruck by all the security. Guards everywhere guarding properties. Whilst sorting ticket we make contact with a mechanic (having gone off Jungle Junction), and head to Karen district and Rick. Very helpful, with a shed full of BMW’s and very willing and able to fix my brake which he did. His tel. number is Kenya (0)722 529 810 . He also saw to Clive’s back brake which also was not operating entirely correctly. No charge ! Whilst waiting for Rick we had bumped into our South African driver guy again. What fate and what was he doing in Karen !! He told us of a Dutch girl who is driving a tractor all the way from the Netherlands to Cape Town.. Guess what, we saw her on the road as we left Rick’s. ! It was a small blue tractor and she has rigged up a camping space over the arms at the back.(www.tractortractor.org).
Back to get tickets with back brake working and then off to Thika which entailed riding straight through the centre of Nairobi. Henry came to meet us at The Blue Post Hotel and led us to his new house on his farm. He and Louise are running Real IPM , a centre where they are breeding natural predators (for red spidermite in particular). Louise has a mission to eliminate the use of chemicals ( at least on roses!)
Wed 29th Nov
Had very nice supper with Henry and Louise and a good nights sleep. Sorted what we were going to bring home ( things we don’t need!), see to bikes and make a list of what we need. Its my bike that has one or two things that are needed. Clive’s has survived very well. They are both filthy, covered in red mud.
Do internet and am now signing off till we pick up the trip again on or around the 13/14th Dec, when we fly back here to pick up our bikes and continue with our journey to Cape Town.
12th Dec Tues
Today we begin our journey back to Kenya. We have worked hard on paperwork etc whilst back and sorted out various things. Bought bits for my bike and spares for both. Tyres as well since we would have problems getting them in Kenya. Dad comes and picks us up and the journey begins. To King"s Lynn to catch a train to Hatfield where Sam picks us up and takes us in to Fulham,London. I have found the best place to carry my two tyres is round my neck! I probably look strange but its easier. Clive,strong man,holds his by one hand. We have supper in Fulham with Sam.
13th Dec. Wed
Leave Sam at 6.30am with tyres! Get to Gatwick with no problems. Find out we have to chuck the camping gas cylinders. We thought they could go in checked in luggage. Then they wanted us to prove we were going to exit Kenya. No exit ticket was a problem. Explain we will be riding out on a road on our bikes. Not happy with that. Luckily Clive had brought his carnet with him and that provided sufficient proof apparently that we were not going to seek asylum in Kenya. The fact that we were carrying our tyres had no impact. Having battled through check in we then had a big queue for security with visions that my toothpaste would be conviscated ! Took ages but no fuss about toothpaste nor a cigarette lighter that I have for our stove. These things could have been taken off me. We had to check in my little rucksack which contained a 250gm jar of marmite. That is not allowed in hand luggage,though cheese is. The jar is now more likely to get broken.
More "herding" in Doha and a busy airport. We have to go through a security machine immediately after leaving the plane. All peoples from all nations here. We have 4 or more hours to kill.
13th Dec. Wed
Leave Sam at 6.30am with tyres! Get to Gatwick with no problems. Find out we have to chuck the camping gas cylinders. We thought they could go in checked in luggage. Then they wanted us to prove we were going to exit Kenya. No exit ticket was a problem. Explain we will be riding out on a road on our bikes. Not happy with that. Luckily Clive had brought his carnet with him and that provided sufficient proof apparently that we were not going to seek asylum in Kenya. The fact that we were carrying our tyres had no impact. Having battled through check in we then had a big queue for security with visions that my toothpaste would be conviscated ! Took ages but no fuss about toothpaste nor a cigarette lighter that I have for our stove. These things could have been taken off me. We had to check in my little rucksack which contained a 250gm jar of marmite. That is not allowed in hand luggage,though cheese is. The jar is now more likely to get broken.
More "herding" in Doha and a busy airport. We have to go through a security machine immediately after leaving the plane. All peoples from all nations here. We have 4 or more hours to kill.
14th Dec thursday
Tired indeed after a night of flying, but Henry was there to meet us which was a welcome surprise. So we piled into his landrover with our tyres (all baggage made it) and snoozed while Henry made a few calls around town and then back to Thika. As we drove out of the airport we saw several giraffes feeding, which was a nice sight. It is drier than when we left which is good for us.Henry said we were being very lucky with traffic as we drove to Nairobi from the airport. Just after us, were coming 10 african presidents for a Great Lakes conference. So all the traffic was being kept moving and all the junctions had police at them waving us on. Clive told me to wave regally !
When we were unpacked Henry led Clive and I on my bike into Thika to get my broken bolts on my bike drilled out. It was not easy but in the end we had success. Back to Henry"s and spent a while putting bits back on the bike. Repacked,slept some more and now looking forward to being back on the road....tomorrow.
Miles...18077. Email balderston.
14th Dec thursday
Tired indeed after a night of flying, but Henry was there to meet us which was a welcome surprise. So we piled into his landrover with our tyres (all baggage made it) and snoozed while Henry made a few calls around town and then back to Thika. As we drove out of the airport we saw several giraffes feeding, which was a nice sight. It is drier than when we left which is good for us.Henry said we were being very lucky with traffic as we drove to Nairobi from the airport. Just after us, were coming 10 african presidents for a Great Lakes conference. So all the traffic was being kept moving and all the junctions had police at them waving us on. Clive told me to wave regally !
When we were unpacked Henry led Clive and I on my bike into Thika to get my broken bolts on my bike drilled out. It was not easy but in the end we had success. Back to Henry"s and spent a while putting bits back on the bike. Repacked,slept some more and now looking forward to being back on the road....tomorrow.
Miles...18077. Email balderston.
14th Dec thursday
Tired indeed after a night of flying, but Henry was there to meet us which was a welcome surprise. So we piled into his landrover with our tyres (all baggage made it) and snoozed while Henry made a few calls around town and then back to Thika. As we drove out of the airport we saw several giraffes feeding, which was a nice sight. It is drier than when we left which is good for us.Henry said we were being very lucky with traffic as we drove to Nairobi from the airport. Just after us, were coming 10 african presidents for a Great Lakes conference. So all the traffic was being kept moving and all the junctions had police at them waving us on. Clive told me to wave regally !
When we were unpacked Henry led Clive and I on my bike into Thika to get my broken bolts on my bike drilled out. It was not easy but in the end we had success. Back to Henry"s and spent a while putting bits back on the bike. Repacked,slept some more and now looking forward to being back on the road....tomorrow.
15th Dec friday
Good nights sleep! Got up to have breakfast and say our goodbyes to Henry. He then realised he had forgotten a meeting and suddenly had to dash off after a hurried good bye. Thank you Henry and Louise for being so kind and looking after our bikes and us so well.
We set off and headed for Nairobi, a road now well travelled by us! Having looked at my map of Nairobi the obvious road to take round Nairobi was the Outering road. It was one enormous traffic jam through the shanty towns of Nairobi.. We took to the dusty and bumpy verge at times; but if you did that you were not always sure you could get back on the tarmac . Lorries and cars did the same.! Having got half way along this route Clive decides he can"t take any more and takes a right towards the centre. Just as full of traffic at times and 3 sides of a triangle instead of one.! Henry, we should have asked you!
We got on the Mombasa road eventually and after 65 miles we got a very good tarmac road sponsored by the EU. In the beginning it was very busy with trucks going so slowly over the potholed parts of the road. Apart from the bumps slowing down the traffic , there are also the sleeping policeman and police checks. When ever there is a village you will get a sleeping policeman as you enter and leave. Sometimes there are more. Police checks happen regularly. They have not been a problem for us...we are generally waved through. Sometimes we get stopped but so far no worry, ie no bribery and corruption as far as we are concerned. Unlike the Ukraine, where we were in the summer, whose police trumped up reasons to "fine"us.
The countryside is green. Much greener than normal. Thorn trees and grassland give way to baobab trees and scrub. Where it is more fertile there is farmland,otherwise we see herders with their animals.
As we near Voi we travel between the Tsavo East and West national parks. It is rolling countryside with plenty of bushes etc.Clive spots an elephant and we turn back for me to see as I had missed it. There it was,flapping its ears and all covered in red dry mud. Big one. Saw some zebras too....
We reach Voi and get a room. Then negotiate a day"s safari in the park. On going out in the dark in the town we are told "to stay near the lights". Otherwise everyone friendly! Our bikes are being guarded ,hopefully , by some Masai men!
16th dec sat
When we woke up we found pools of water on the floor. Neither of us had realised that it had poured with rain in the night. This hotel seems to still have the roof area under construction so there had been a lot of rain coming through. Much mopping up going on as we went down to breakfast early, to be ready at 8am for our driver.
He did turn up and in the right vehicle. All went okay till I asked for the roof to be opened(so we could stand and view). It would not open until Clive put his shoulder to it. Transpired later that the driver had been unable to open it before. He knew it might not work.! After that all fine. Did not see any rhino but we did see a pregnant monitor lizard,a secretary bird, a maribou stork, and a cobra snake,amongst other good things like hippo at Mzimo springs. All these were surpassed when late in the day we saw 2 leopard on the road,very close to. They could have jumped through our windows as we took photos!
After that there were problems..We had to leave the park by 7pm. We were about 10kms from the gate at 6pm when major bang and we have a blow out in back tyre. Driver does not seem that clued up and we help. Spare is underneath and required my knowledge of my old pick up to release it. However, not good news...spare is on wrong size hub and does not fit. So we are in the gathering dark,in a wildlife park with man eating lions in the area, in our shorts, and then the malarial mosquitos get going. I do have anti mosi spray with me so we cover ourselves in spray first. Then back to helping our driver put the old burst tyre/wheel back on. Only thing to do is proceed onwards on burst tyre. Its a dirt road with stones. He mobiles his mates until he announces his mobile is out of credit, at least we have our uk mobiles and there is a signal. Now pitch dark as we crawl onwards at 5 mph. Amazingly the spent tyre stays on the hub and after an hour we reach the gate. Its now 8pm. Park people had not leapt to the rescue! Taxi apparently coming.....and coming! Eventually it arrives at 9am and we get back from our safari at 10pm! Our driver was upset at the tyre problems. But he should have known his own vehicle better!
2 drinks,some food and to bed..
17th dec
We have received bad news over night via text. Ian Baker, who rode with us through Libya and then most of the way to Khartoum, has had an accident with a bike(bicycle?) and is in hospital "broken and bruised", his bike damaged and the other person with a broken leg. We believe he is near Mbebe which would mean he is in Tanzania. We await more news.
After paying our guards (the 2 Masai men in traditional clothing) for guarding our bikes for 2 nights and a day,we leave Voi and head for Mombasa, on the coast. It is a cloudy day and there is a small threat of rain. Because its cloudy, its cooler which is better for us. Even so it is 28c. The road is good and the truck traffic not bad. Few private vehicles. Green scrub land mostly, with herding and some farming in more fertile parts. Scattered settlements seem to be making a "cash crop" from producing charcoal. Bags and bags line the roadside either waiting to be picked up or to be sold. We see Masai people beside the road now and then. I think there are far less children beside the road compared with Sudan and Ethiopia. Clive may not agree! Maybe Kenya has got population growth under control?
Our good road suddenly has a bad patch and then some more as we near Mombasa. The good road has ended and we have to bump along a broken tarmac road which at times becomes dirt or under construction. Trucks crawl along swerving around but small van taxis are a pain as they try and get along as quickly as possible. At one point (we drive on the left in Kenya) a bus coming from the opposite direction takes to our left hand dirt,potholed hardshoulder of road, just as an impatient taxi travelling our way takes to the same potholed hardshoulder. They are travelling into each other. I continue behind a truck whilst Clive overtakes it not knowing that the bus which has gone over to our hard shoulder is going to take a dive back to the other side of the road and that the taxi ,which has overtaken on the inside , will appear beside him. It all happens at very slow speed so its not really a problem!
We do arrive in Mombasa.! Safely! Clive wants to find some symbolic tusks over a road. Asking along the way we find them and then its off to Fort Jesus, a vast portugese built fort using coral as a building material. Built in the 1590s. A local guide latches on to us and watches us eat lunch. We pay for him to takes us round the outside. A waste of money as all info in our lonely planet guide. One does pay up just to get rid of them! Also had to pay guy to look after the bikes but that is worth the £1.50.
Its hot! About 35c. Go on to Bamburi beach hotel, which is just north of Mombasa. Have a swim! Very warm but shallow. Coral reef offshore. Lots of beach hotels, one after the other. This area seems to be attractive to white single older men and possibly single older ladies as well. Those looking for a partner...? We were watching as we ate our evening meal.!
18th dec mon
Late breakfast for this is a non moving day. Our plan now is to spend a week (for christmas) further up the coast ,north of Malindi. Today we have a few things to do before moving north. In between internet etc we went to a crocodile farm. Clive,a bit reluctant to come, enjoyed looking at the mass of small crocs all lying together. The big ones were lying around looking very evil with their little eyes on you.. There was a little sideline in small creatures like spiders,tarantulas etc in small cages. This was not good. The cages were filthy,the specimens poor or even dead. Definately not well presented!
The internet cafe was suffering from a bad phone line. Wasn.t working at all for most of the morning. Then it did and then it didn"t. We lost emails we had written as the line went down.
It is hot outside..too hot to do much. We try and fix Clives horn which is not working and I move my camera mount to the otherside of the handle bars: we are driving on the left here and I have been missing the chance of photos because the camera is pointing the wrong way.(had been mounted for right hand driving).
Our next door neighbour watches us do these odd jobs. He is a single older english man out here for six weeks. He is accompanied by a young black man today. We probably disturbed them as we arrived back!
19th dec
Cloudy day but nevertheless hot. Set off towards Malindi. Clive has soft front tyre so stop in garage to put air in. My bike then would not start!. Battery went "click". Why/how did it start 10 mins ago? Any way , this means unpack to get seat off to get to battery. Before I do that I have to push the bike to some shade (Clive insists). I manage to drop it as the sidestand had come up.! Plenty onlookers help pick it up. By this time I am dripping with sweat.....dripping. In the shade its spare tyres off,bag off, other bag off, seat up, tools out.... Nothing seems wrong, further tighten connections and bike starts. Seat on, check still starts and then repack, get on and "click"! Everything off again! I am SO hot. Take battery leads off and on. Starts so leave it running (ignore fact bike gets hot if not moving) and repack all over again. Been alright since but I dont think I have dried out all day! Not long after we got going again ,it rained on us. Tropical showers that should not be happening now. Got caught without waterproofs so wet from rain and sweat.!The road is tarmac but very potholed in parts. Not too much traffic and so we wriggle our way along taking care to spot the potholes before we overtake. People walking by the road with various loads....ladies carrying them on their heads,men by bicycle.
We called in at a smart place called Hemmingways and had a drink. Clive has stayed there in the past. It had a very lovely beach. Apparently the author Ernest Hemmingway was there and did go fishing in Watamu.
We are now just north of Malindi in Mambrui . Its full of Italians as is Malindi itself. Our little house has limited electricity,no phone, and no telly. We are going to have to find somewhere to eat on Christmas day!
20th dec wed.
Begin with a swim. Still feel hot! On bikes into town, Malindi, to have breakfast ( we have no food in our self catering place) and to go shopping. We pass many bicycles with various loads on board. One had a table and another some long pipes:others carry water in yellow plastic containers and even more have sacks of charcoal;big sacks and they could be carrying 3 or more!
It is becoming very obvious that this is a very Italian area. Italian african/holiday destination. The cafe we go to is all italian and there are many italian tourists. Do internet, and then research where to go for our christmas meal. Old Man and the Sea seems the spot . We have now looked at various places, including Hemmingways. There can be two different rates. One for residents of Kenya and one for tourist. Hemmingways believed we were residents of Kenya as we told them we had just ridden down from Nairobi.!! Where we are staying only has tourist rates and is thus double the price for christmas meal. Old Man and the Sea has one rate. Many do not believe we have come all the way from UK by bike so we can say we are resident in Nairobi....
Then we wander in the direction of hardware shops and try to get Clive"s bikes horn fixed: it stopped working in Nairobi and it is badly needed!!. We do famously well and in dripping heat we find the right little street with the aid of a bicycle repair shop man! One thing always leads to another if you keep asking. I even wandered off and in the end found a nut to fit my bolt for my back mudguard. Finally we went shopping in a supermarket.(Had to leave the shopping to the end because the butter would melt! ) We were assisted all the way round the shop. Very reminiscent of my mothers shopping days, I am sure. Step back, tell them what you want and it is packed for you. Service.! However, they could not believe we were packing all this lot onto motorbikes. Having emptied our panniers we had loads of room for shopping for two.
No one goes shopping by motorbike.! But it was easy.
21st dec thurs
Clive intends to clean his bike, I fancy swimming and reading which I do for a while. Get bored and fix light on my bike and decide I might as well clean mine!! Not so thoroughly as Clives.
Weather overcast but still at 33c. What happens if full sun?Do a whole lot of lengths up and down the pool. I have looked at the beach but tide always at wrong point. Tomorrow am.
22nd Dec.
Swim in pool and then walk to the sea to see if we can find fisherman and have a swim there. Tide is out and it is all rocky so no swim. Clive negotiates for man to get us a lobster for tonight. We will see........
Go into town on the bikes to shop etc. Spend nearly an hour in a bank queue because the ATM is out of action because their phone system is hopeless.
We were pleased to get an email from Ian and a text yesterday. He is okay, but with a badly damaged little toe and much bruising. Had a terrible time being stitched up without any anaesthetic but managed to contact the Irish Embassy who drove 10 hours to rescue him. He has subsequently managed to fly himself and the damaged bike to Cape Town from Lusaka, so will be home in time for Xmas and to recuperate.( See you there Ian ) It seems that the Irish Embassy were very helpful with sorting damaged bike and extricating Ian from the situation. The cyclist admitted his fault.
I think we will now update after Christmas as we are now in Malindi and not moving until Boxing Day.It is then off to Tanga ( that most famous of towns as it was Clive`s birthplace many years ago!! )
HAPPY CHRISTMAS everyone. We are looking forward to getting going afterwards; not least to getting out of this heat.
Spare a thought for our hospital charity and if you can donate anything the details are on our opening page.
After Christmas its Tanzania and then Malawi and ...........
25th dec mon
Christmas evening and we are champing at the bit to get on the road again. We leave tomorrow morning.
We have had a strange but relaxing Christmas. To me it feels odd, being in a hot climate. I want the cold!
The Kenyans are "calm" about Christmas. Decorations are low key. That has been nice. None of the christmas fever. Just a Happy Christmas and then lets get on with life.
Tonight we ate in the restaurant here, in this complex and then went to "an acrobatic show", in the disco bar! We came upon it by chance. Its was good. 7 or 8 young kenyans performed various acrobats for us. They were amateurs but full of life,energetic,talented: it had mistakes which endeared us to their performance. Well done to them. I could imagine them practicing their routines on the beach.
Earlier in the day I had gone for a little walk outside our perimeter. Each beach resort has its own area with a fence or wall around it for security, guarded 24 hrs a day. For a while I was left alone but then a little boy came running up and without much delay asked for 100 kenyan shillings. Straight out! He was rather surprised when I showed him I only had swimming goggles and sun cream with me!
We have had no problems going out and about on the bikes or in Malindi. The problem is very much for tourists who do not have our freedom to leave places like this in their own transport.
26th dec tues
We are in Tanzania! Another milestone. Clive has been very excited all day about getting here. This is Clive"s birthplace. He has not been here since he was about 6/7 years old.
We began today quite early, at 8am. 33c as usual (night and day seem to be the same temp). So try not to exert, but by the time the bike is packed, I am so hot....again.! All goes well until south of Mombasa. We caught the ferry off Mombasa island. It runs every 20 mins. Roasted in the sunshine! Head on down south looking for somewhere to make a food stop. Clive stops to talk to me just beyond a junction. We decide to take the turn . Clive says "lets take this shortcut path" Saved a u turn. Suddenly see Clives bike hop sideways. Must have hit something. Clive upright but surprised. See Clive move a rock and think he hit the rock . "Now where do I go?"But its okay. Later in a nice cafe we discover Clive had hit something hard and he had big dent in his exhaust and a bend on his crash bar. Perhaps lucky. He had hit a hard upright pipe concealed in the grass on the edge of the path.
Head on towards the border. Lots of small settlements. Straw roofed ,mud walled houses. Making charcoal to sell. Tarmac road good and traffic minimal as we near the border. Formalities good but bikes sit in hot sun as we go from customs to immigration to police on each border.
Then head onwards on the expected dirt road. Its very good and no problem. However after 20 miles I hear a scraping noise and my back mud guard has broken off again. Can"t take the vibrations. Thats the second one.Take photo for BMW and give broken mudguard to onlooker. Not long after the water bottle (newly purchased 5l,) comes bouncing off Clive"s bike. I shout down the autocom but as usual its not working properly (was a few minutes ago). Clive does not notice. I pick it up. Somehow prop it behind me and expect Clive to have noticed I am not behind him. But no. He thinks I am being moody! It takes me a while to catch him up. Apologies. In the meantime a very big black cloud is threatning rain on this bit of dirt road. We do not want that. Amazingly it does not happen.
Houses here similar to Kenya but I detect that the Tanzanians appear more confident. We shall see. Smell salt fish in several villages.
Arrive in Tanga and find an hotel. Clive"s bike does not fancy its side stand and falls over outside the hotel. It has not been Clive"s bikes day. Now he has a broken indicator cover. He mends that later with super glue.
Have a good meal. Televisions everywhere showing english football.Its like a religion, football. The border guards ask which team do you support...the hotel reception wants to know which team you follow etc. Its common ground....english football teams are followed the world over. By men ,anyway! In every country we have been to so far.
Dec 27th wed
Forgot to mention yesterday that after washing my hair last night, it did not dry for ages due to the humidity. 2 hours on and it was still wet! It was nice to use unsalty water though....in our last spot in Kenya the tap water was very salty.
An uncomfortable night with a very noisy air conditioner . Very hot without...can"t win.
After breakfast off to change tyres. Follow helpful hotel man on his little motorbike. Via bank, who dont want my kenyan money(!) so then via bus station to do a bit of street money changing. Have to get the thousands right as its about 2200 to the £, and these guys are very sharp.Then to tyre changing. Unlike Egypt ,where we were surrounded, the onlookers keep their distance and watch from a seat across the road....mostly anyway. Its hot ofcourse and the poor guys hand levering our tyres are soon pouring sweat,and so are we. Job done and off to see yacht club where Clive remembers going to with his parents. Then the hospital where he was born. Building still there but needing attention. Then the church where he was christened.Then internet whilst it rains. It was just about the slowest internet connection we have come across yet. Failed to load photos though did try!
It pours with rain again in the early evening, rather upsetting our plans of going out to eat elsewhere by motorbike. Stay at hotel and suffer the very slow cooking time as advertised on the walls ( minimum order time 45 mins) ! And so it was.....
Tanga seems a pleasant spread out town. My first taste of Tanzania. I like the feel so far,.. over Kenya.
28th dec thurs
With rainy clouds in the sky again we slowly left Tanga after a bacon and egg breakfast. On to a good tarmac road in rolling countryside.
Its not so hot ,5c less, which is nice. Green countryside with plenty of small trees. No animals to be seen even when it becomes more scrubby. We have found out that the weather here in Tanzania is not normal and that they have had rain far earlier than normal and plenty of it. So we are seeing a very verdant Tanzania. The Flame trees are just in flower and look lovely. Haven"t managed that right photo yet though!
I take photos as we go along. Its a bit hit and miss. The people would not let you take photos of them if you stopped. This way they usually don"t realise...but then I don"t always succeed!
Houses as in Kenya; thatched with mud bricks but some concrete with thatch roofs. Red mud/earth outside. Lots of people sitting around under the trees or in the shade. Plenty of colourful ladies with babies in bundles on their backs and loads on their heads walk along the road. Men with bicycles loaded with all sorts of things bicycle or push their loads along the road. Men in small gangs are cutting the verges with large "pangas" (correct?) . Slow process.
We pass a tanker that has failed to make a bend inspite of all the warnings and the sleeping policemen. It is a diesel tanker with two tanks. It has a crowd of people round it and they are all helping themselves to the diesel. This tanker, lying on its side will probably not get recovered. They probably do not have the lifting gear to get it.
At a major junction there are numerous people trying to sell you things, especially pineapples. We have seen an enormous looking fruit for sale by the road. Can"t recognise it, maybe its a vegetable? The sellers chase every bus that stops.
As we head for Dar ,the road gets busier. Mostly trucks and buses. The trucks breakdown fairly frequently. The reason seems to be either tyres or axles. All has to be fixed where they stop....half way up a hill, or in the middle of the road. Its not just Tanzanian trucks...we have seen this in Kenya too etc.
Lots of flood water by the road. Our threat of rain today passed us by luckily ( we had a few drops). But suddenly ahead there is some flood water across the road and a bus has slipt off the edge of the road. Policeman on duty! Its not deep and we pass on with no problem, and reach Dar Es Salaam. Check into first decent hotel. Quick turn around and off to the centre in a taxi. Not a lot to see or buy! I think a nicer city than Nairobi but probably far smaller?
In the evening our hotel has live music. Not bad kind of African songs/beat. We eat almost in the dark and I have problems working out where the bones are in my fish( not that good, bit dry). Clives meat better.
29th dec fri
This was not one of our good days.
Wake up early ,6am, to lashing rain and wind. Tropical rain! We have to retrace some of the road of yesterday including the bit that had water across it. How will that be?
It was no problem. In fact there was no water at all. We had begun about 10am after waiting for the rain to stop. It had not, but was still drizzling much like a day in England except that it was 26c.
Back along the road to the junction where we joined it. On stopping for a drink, Clive announces that his bike has a problem. Fairly sure its the back wheel bearing. ( the second one to go in 42,000 miles ) We are at a big cafe where overland type vehicles were stopping. I sit trying to get through to either mechanics in the UK or BMW south africa ( the only place where there is a motorcycle agent for BMW). I am not succeeding.Meanwhile Clive is with his bike attracting onlookers. Amongst them is a mechanic who is saying he can fix it! In half an hour the bearing is off but fix it we are now not so sure. The end result at the moment is that I am sitting in this cafe while Clive and the mechanic have ridden off to Dar Es Salaam (where we have just come from) to see if the bearing can be fixed or similar one found. This will take at least 3 hours. I have no book...I have to keep guard over Clives bike and our bits and pieces! (I have appointed a guard as well.) But they all say nothing will get pinched. Certainly I feel Tanzania is much better than Kenya.
Texts from Clive indicate that they have failed in Dar. This means UK is the only hope. It is Friday pm before holiday re. New Year. Several dealers shut. In the end Vines of Guildford come up trumps. They are open, they can cope with me on mobile from Tanzania and not wanting to do small talk.!! Part is ordered and on its way. It may take a week.
Clive gets back with mechanic on my bike. Old bearing is put back on, everyone paid, and we return to Dar in the darkness. Interesting ride on the main road with some buses/trucks with no backlights, some very dim etc. Coming towards us they could be on sidelights but more commonly on dip and then put full beam up just to dazzle you...so it seemed. Back to dip after they were past you. Hardly any street lights so the dark people had to look after themselves...hopefully. ( Clive adds: On the way in to Dar up one of the hills I had noticed a deep hole in the centre of the left hand lane of the road, we ride on the left here, not very wide about 18 inches round but very deep, where road had colapsed. In the daylight it was not a problem, I just dink the bike and I am round it. However in the pitch black with lorries with six spot lights on I couldn`t see the road as they pass for maybe two or three seconds and if a front wheel of a motorcycle went into that one hole it would be an immediate off... so I was trying to be in the centre of the road and thus near the oncoming trucks or on the left close to the edge where dark people wearing dark clothes were walking or riding bikes with no lights on... you get the picture !)
Clive tired. He had ridden from and to Dar twice. It is about 70 miles each way.
So we will not be in the hills near Mbeya for New Year but in Dar Es Salaam. We will have to explore some more.!
30th dec sat.
Day one of hanging around waiting for spare part to arrive from England. Centre of town day. We plod around, shops are open and I find a bookshop where I buy a book to read. Make further contact with Vines of Guildford...this time on a landline...to say thank you for getting the part on its way.
Our hotel is right next to Dar"s local market. Not the sort of place to go in the dark nor in the day with valuables. Nevertheless I had a small explore alone into the food section. Very rough,dirty, but lots of nice spices and fruit. Will have to have another look another day. Clive is a very reluctant market browser!
Wish our hotel had better food and that we were given some light. The other night I had fish and seeing the bones was impossible . The tables are all outside and lights are negligable.
31st dec sun
Last night we ate round the corner in a place I had spotted next to the market. It said Pizzas. Very local. Various stalls cooking food outside the place saying pizzas. A few tables on the footpath. Wonderful fresh fruit drinks ie mango for about 15p per glass. The pizzas were "Zanzibar pizzas."...finely chopped veg, beaten egg, and spicy meat inside a thin pastry which was wrapped over and then fried. Very good. You could also have chicken, fried covered in spice, and spanish type omelette with chips in it. The locals were rather amazed we were there I think. It was all much better than our hotel!
Today we go off to explore the Msasani peninsular 2 up on my bike. It is a very up market area full of spendid houses for ambassadors of many countries. It is all very spaciously laid out with lovely gardens. Near the top of the peninsula is a very nice hotel called the Sea View. We had a wander around pretending we were staying there.!
New year preparations are also in full swing by the locals on Oyster Beach. Looked like plenty of food stalls and music.
I have been very impressed by some of the ladies hair styles here and in Kenya. A lot of trouble is taken to create some wonderful "heads". Braiding, hair pieces, beads, colouring; all go towards creating their hairstyles. The women are also clad in bright colours so they can look great.
Clive and I have had many discussions as to the best way of stopping the poverty that is spreading throughout Africa which in Clive"s opinion is exacerbated by the guidance given out by religious leaders who do nothing to reverse the population explosion.
I agree with Clive"s opinion but am not as pessimistic about the future.
Its New years Eve. Our hotel food is not good but they are good on music. The music starts at 10.30pm. Its Taraab music. A mixture of arabic,indian, and african. Audience all seated, like a concert. But girls get up to dance with a few boys. Girls predominantly seated to the left, boys to the right. Girls all dressed up in their best, boys have their best colourful shirt hanging out!.Each number is very long and the girls gently sway around. The new year is counted down and we shake hands with our nearest seated guests. Then on goes the music. We have a quick "sway" before we leave. They will continue till dawn!
1st jan mon
Expedition to southern beaches after I have cleaned the air filter on my bike. Thought I ought given we have time!
Not having the right detailed map we go too far down the coast on a more inland road. Nevertheless its all interesting. Tropical landscape with small mud hut villages. There are cement walled houses too . Plenty of people sitting in the shade. Loaded bicycles are seen all along the route. Best was one with 3 bags of charcoal with 2 pineapples dangling from each bag. I failed to get a photo. Since Clive"s bike is out of action, we go around on mine with Clive driving and me on the back. It is very good of me!!! The only advantage is I can try and take photos.
Fruit is in abundance. Seems to be mango ,pineapple and pawpaw season. And Jack fruit, though I have not seen them being eaten yet. Perhaps they are not nice?
We have had some lovely fresh juice.
Find cafe...called ? Pub! Eat fried plantian with some meat and tomatoes bought from a young boy"s stall just near by.
Back to find beach...we are 20kms inland! Find Sunset beach. Its on a beautiful bay. There is very little tourism here...some hotels but low key. We swim in the sea with a few breakers and have fun surfing in. Its bank holiday so beach is quite busy. Not many whites:mostly indians and africans.Get very sandy and have to shower. Bit of a nightmare for me. 3 cubicles with doors. Thats fine but there is a queue of african and indian mothers with sandy children. As each mum gets a cubicle more children keep appearing and are sqeezed in one by one. Then one mum jumps the queue with her children. Right, so if that is the system.....I am ready the next time a door opens and finally get in to find the shower is a mere dribble. It helps ...but slowly!
Back to Dar via the ferry. Hotel staff getting to know us. I am referred to as "Mama" and Clive as "Mzee" ( that means" old man").!
Tomorrow Clive is expecting his part. I think he is being optimistic. But we can"t wait to get going again.
2nd Jan tues
Now we really are waiting for this part. New Year holiday time is over. Try emailing to get info. Takes till 3.30pm our time to discover that it is probably in Dar. That is frustrating!
I am impressed how hassle free it is here. The centre of the city is small and there are not many tourists. But we can go about our business like anyone else. It is in the tourist areas that you get the hassling.
Now 5pm and guess what.... the part has just been delivered. Great joy all round, well done Vines of Guildford and especially Andy Tizzard.
So with a bit of luck tomorrow morning the bearing will be replaced and we should be on our way by lunchtime, so the plan is to stop in Morogoro tomorrow night about 150 miles to the west of here. Lets hope things go according to plan.
3rd Jan Clives Dads birthday.
Well the bearing was fitted without too much trouble and we left Dar es Salaam about 2pm having collected our clothes etc from the hotel and headed for Morogoro. The ride was ok except when we arrived we could hear that Clives bike was still not quite right.
When he de-celerates the whole rear wheel moves quite dramatically and there is some noise coming from the front of the drive shaft near the gearbox. We are not sure what to do, there is no BMW dealer in Dar so there is no point returning there, and we are about 1500 miles from Lusaka the next major city where in any event there does not appear to be a BMW motorcycle dealer either. We have phoned our friendly dealer in Norwich but there is not much you can do down a phone line...
We shall continue as best we can and hope for the best, it may survive it may suddenly grind to a halt...
Thurs 4th Jan
Head off westwards and further inland , destination Iringa. An easy day as long as all goes well.
Good road and great scenery. Green and tropical becomes green and drier as we go further west and higher. Tree clad hills show up on our left. The road is not busy. Trucks, buses and us it seems. Trucks broken down, with their usual array of branches on the road to warn you; buses going too fast( who would be a backpacker!) and crabbing along the road. One seemed to be almost side on as it headed towards us. Each and every bus and truck belches black diesel fumes at us,on the flat and particularly climbing into the hills.
Trucks that have had to leave the road in a hurry are left in their overturned state as they are too heavy to right again. We probably saw 3 or 4 today. The cause of their misfortune....? Something overtaking coming towards them or blown tyres most likely.
At one police checkpoint(we have not been stopped yet) we see another bmw traveller! They are two up. We say hello. Perhaps we will see them again.
The road takes us through Mikumi National park. At first all we see are baboons but then we see giraffes, zebras, 2 elephants and then ,in front of Clive by the side of the road appeared a lioness and 3 cubs. She was going to cross the road but changed her mind. Bad luck for me as I was further behind and by the time I got there she had hidden.
It begins to shower/downpour on us on and off. I have no vizer on my helmet as sidepiece is broken so the rain hurts my face! But we are quite lucky skirting some very black clouds and heavier downpours. With no where to stop (little tourism) we keep going and reach Iringa early. It is in the hills/mts at 1600m.
Our hotel has a bath so I delight in having a bath. Water is hot but also a good browny yellow colour.....before I got in!
I find it amusing when our motorbikes, big motorbikes, are referred to as pikipiki. "you have a nice pikipiki". I also like the name for their public minibuses "daladala"s. Reminds me of "dial a ride".
Fri 5th Jan
Off we go on a good road up on a plateau. It seems quite fertile. Many of the traditional houses are being replaced with better brick homes with tin roofs. Yesterday we see onions and mats for sale, today its potatoes.
We are going along a straight piece of road when all of a sudden a chid runs out from right to left in front of Clive. He had no chance but managed to avoid contact till the child had reached (luckily) the left side of his bike. Child hits his indicator and perhaps his crash bar,rolls and ends up in the verge. From behind it seemed to me that the child may not have made contact with Clives bike. We ride on as we have been told to do looking for a police station, we do this as if the child has been hurt the villagers have been known to take the law into their own hands.... After 70 miles the police stop us and ask why did we not report the accident? We explain but must go back to the last biggish town. The police station was down a dirt track which could not been seen from the road and without a sign to it. They had Clives passport by now. Talking to Clive for the first time (autocom not working again) he tells me that he is afraid the child may be hurt. That it had hit his bike....his indicator quite hard.
We hang around this police station untill two policemen arrive from Iringa and inform us we must go back to where it happened. We learn that the child is in hospital.
Getting to Mbeya is proving difficult. One step forward and two back.
We arrive at the scene of accident under Police escort and find everything calm, but lots of people soon appear one carrying part of Clive indicator glass. A sketch is made by the Police officer and then we are escorted to Iringa police station, Iringa being where we had left earlier. Not straight to police station though...hospital first. Police want to see the boy, but we do not go in as Clive does not want to be accused of bribery if any money is requested. We then go to the Station and finally give written statements including me. We feel that our not stopping was something they may fine us for. We wait. I wait while Clive sits with biggest chief. Then we are waiting for next biggest chief, the Deputy chief of the entire Region. It appears they can"t make decision, perhaps trying to find a way to exact a fine ! however finally ,at about 7pm, Clive advises them that he is very happy to offer the childs family some money but only once he has been cleared of any responsibility. When this is done things begin to move, he gets his passport back and its thumbs up. We now go to the hospital accompanied by a plain clothes policeman to see the boy.The mother is sitting by his bedside, she is very young...a teenager. She has 2 children and no husband. The little boy has a cut on his head a broken leg and his been unconscious since he arrived. Clive is very upset by this little bundle and talks to the mother. He gives her sufficient money to cover all his medical expenses plus and then discusses the situation with the ward sister. She assures him that the boy will be alright although it will take some time before he is able to run the way he did this morning. We leave the hospital about 8pm.
It has been a bad day and we are back where we began. We finally are free to go but are told to report to the Police station in the morning...a further fine? We go to a different hotel to last night, and the first beer didn`t touch the side............ !
6th Jan sat
We had been told by the police last night that we had to call back in this morning before we left town. Clive feared that they were going to delay us further. Which they did. Now they want to photocopy Clives driving licence and his passport. faie enough but the police do not have a photocopier so off goes our friend ( by this time !) to a photocopier in town. he comes back and then boss decides he needs my passport photocopied. Another trip of 20 mins. Then papers are shuffled and shuffled and put in a folder and then finally after 1.5 hours we are free to go.
To be fair to the police...it was an accident where someone had got hurt and they had to make reports etc. They were very through..sketch of scene statements and so on. At no point was money for them even hinted at. The only thing that would not have happened in England was the police making us pay money to the family. We were seen , quite rightly as having money so why not help the family whose son was hurt. They could have
made a fine which they did not.
The slowness of it all is caused by lack of modern tools such as computers or even a typr writer! All was done in long hand. Their premises were very run down as well. We were not the only accident that the traffic police dealt with that day...a bus had over turned near Morogoro and one passenger had been killed and others injured. Obviously that took time as well.
So off we finally go and good progress is made. Lovely rolling countryside, very green because of all the rains. Total lack of tourism to the extent that when we stopped for lunch the children would not come up to us easily.
Villages and houses very basic but some fertile land where cultivations were taking place and crops were growing including rice.
We reach Mbeya, a town that we thought we would reach quite a few days ago! Clive`s bike is still not right. The new bearing is fine but we think another is playing up so we have decided to take the Zambia route instead of Malawi; the reason being that Zambia is part of the South African Federation and South Africa has plenty of BMW agents so getting a spare should be easier there than in Malawi. We cross the border tomorrow...we hope!!!
7th jan sun
The peak hotel was not a great place. The waiter himself said it was going downhill and that the owner was the drunk person in the bar. At breakfast they had no coffee !
As we do the 70 miles to the
border through green and fertile rolling countryside I think of the people beside the road,the ladies with their loads on their heads; all sorts of loads from bundles of wood to large bowls of rice: of the men with their bicycles all loaded up; I have seen one with a chair frame, others with sacks of charcoal,masses of pineapples,chickens,flapping shirts with their hangers dangling. The children, some with their loads too, maybe water, girls in party dresses, boys looking scruffy, the little boy in hospital. Men and women with their hand hoes off to tend their land. The speeding buses that often overturn. The crabbing buses. The potholes in the road.
It is a busy country. Now as we near the border people are busy in their fields gathering,selling. All by hand.
The border is busy. Lots of touts (or ticks as they are refered to here). We feel I had better stay with bikes and Clive disappears with some ticks and I am left surrounded by more. It does not take too long and over into Zambia. Same ticks seem to follow.! A bit more of a palaver here, visa and council tax (!). Money to change. Pay off 2 ticks (we hadn"t needed either but what can you do?) and off into Zambia.
Good road with occasional large pothole. Green long grass with small trees,shrubs and sometimes bigger trees. Lots of little villages of square, mostly brick built, but round grass covered roofs. Seem to be making money from selling charcoal. Bags wait to be collected from beside the road. The land is being denuded because of it.
Plenty of people sitting around. More children than Tanzania. Less people with a purpose using the roadside. There are people but they are either grouped and talking or just ambling along. They don"t look busy. Men on bicycles are not pedalling hard. In fact they worry us as they are going so slowly they are wobbling over the road. We go past the place where Ian had his collision: gives us food for thought.
The road is not busy. A few lorries go the other way. There are no buses in stark contrast to Tanzania.
We stop in Isoka. Very difficult to find food. In fact we fail, the restaurant not having any. We buy 2 packets of biscuits and 2 cokes. Petrol pumps next door have no petrol but boy sitting near us says he can get 5 litres. The can of petrol appears with another boy on a bicycle. All organised by mobile phone. It is expensive ( naturally!). Later we find out that he did not over charge and that petrol is very expensive here. Hence no traffic on the road. It means that the little villages are very cut off with no buses, no taxis and no minibuses (like the ones that ply the roads of Kenya and Tanzania.)
We are aiming for Kabishya hot springs. It is near Shiwa Ngama. It is up a dirt road for 32 kms. Because of the rains the road is sandy in parts and a bit wet in others. We slowly make it. Two nights here we think, to enjoy the hot springs.
It is owned by Mark Harvey, grandson of Sir Stewart Gore Brown. There is a book by Christina Lamb called Africa House, which is a novel based on the family and the house. We are not near the house but we hope to see it.
Have supper talking to Mark Harvey and his wife.
8th jan mon.
We had good discussions about Zambia and Africa last night with Mark and Mel. Today we head for the hot spring pool. It is a natural pool near the river and feeding into it. A small man made wall makes the pool a litle deeper. It is very lovely: clear as a bell and hot,33.1c on my watch temp gauge. All is in a wonderful tropical setting. There some pretty birds and butterflies....Clive not interested in these! We have it all to ourselves; though more guests arriving some time today.
We don"t see Mark again as he has just got malaria. For the second time since being here. We must be careful.
The people arriving are 4 older people. One couple from Lusaka ( she has lived in Zambia all her life) and another who have houses in Jo,berg, England, and Cyprus. It was interesting talking to them in the evening. Another life!
9th jan tues
Clive"s birthday. Happy birthday Clive. I am afraid no presents right now. What he wants I cant buy here!
It poured again in the night and still looks very cloudy this morning. We have 32kms of dirt road to do and in the wet it will be slippery. We are going to tour Shiwa Ng"andu...the house that was built by Sir Stewart Gore Brown. It is 20kms down the dirt road. It IS slippery on the clay and sandy in other parts. We go very steadily and survive without mishap and reach the house. We are shown round by great grand daughter Emma. She is 15yrs old. The house is built in local bricks. They are a very nice colour. It was interesting. Afterwards we ride up a rough track to look at his grave and see the view of the lake from there.
Then on down our dirt road to the main road.
I find the rest of the day fairly boring. The road is the most dull since the Libyan desert. Its good tarmac with long straights; same green woody scenery with the little villages, bunches of people now and then;virtually no traffic. Clive does not agree and likes it, likes the rolling green hillsides etc.
We have to watch the cyclists....they like to bicycle on the wrong side of the road. Sometimes they decide to change sides! I can see how Ian"s accident happened.
It is very basic by the road. Subsistence farming with little bits of produce being sold by the road (including huge fungi). We stop in a cafe but the only thing they can get us to eat is a frankfurter type sausage. No roll! Petrol stations are few and far between. In one we were offered green cooked caterpillars to eat. Lady selling them said they were lovely. We had seen some crispy beetles for sale the day before. Clive and I are a bit squeamish re eating beetles and caterpillars. No hotels.
We set off late in the day to cover almost 300 miles and it is nearly dark by the time we get to the first possible stopping place...a farm guest house/chalets called Sweetwater farm. Next one is about 50kms further on. We decide to stop but it is poor value. Wont be coming again. One of the worst.
10th Jan wed
Its daughter Gina`s birthday today. For us its drizzling. Our breakfast is fine but pleased to leave this place. Down the short but slippery mud road. Strangely Clive does not speak to me once we reach the road. The autocom is ofcourse not working properly...I can usually hear Clive but he cannot hear me. But today he has his microphone far from his lips so I hear nothing. So off we set towards Lusaka. Headlong..not in terms of speed, but as if we have no time to stop. What is up with him? Usually we would stop. Same scenery as yesterday. Bit more traffic. I feel we must be careful. Its raining on and off and stings my face as I have no visor ( broken). Finally find out whats up...I had said I want to go through the Drakensberg mts in S A. Apparently Clive does not. Hence no speaks today. Perhaps he is worried his bike wont make it and the extra 500 miles may prevent us getting to Cape Town.
As we near Lusaka things get more lively. Communal markets and all associated things with big towns. I also notice that there are many large farms. Big fields growing good looking crops. This is white farmer at work!! In Lusaka we go straight down Cairo road with no problems. We had been told to be careful in the traffic. Gangs of boys can pinch stuff from cars and motorbikes whilst you are stopped in a traffic jam. However we have no real jams as we have ensured it is not rush hour when we arrived .
We are going to stay with friends of Henry and Louise Wainwright. These friends have very kindly said that they would have us to stay even though they do not know us. Directions were to find the Castle shopping centre and ask for them. This we do. Clive is always so quick at spotting that kind of thing. I go in and ask if anyone knows our host. The second person I ask does. Up the road a bit and down a bit of a dirt road before turning on to a large farm. John Henderson is running a large enterprise here sending veg to Tesco and all sorts of other things. Big business. We have a very enjoyable supper with them out doors. Mosquitos hopefully being held at bay with spray! We hear (again) from John about the laziness of the Zambians : how they cannot be motivated even when enticed with more money etc. They lack any ambition to work !
11th jan thurs
Our hosts go off to work and we are going to leave after internetting on otherside of town. Leaving our stuff off we go and do internet, have lunch and then go to fill up with petrol. In the station I see another bike, 2 up, and realise it is the bike we saw in Tanzania near Iringa with the japanese girl. We end up having coffee/tea and then finally deciding to stay another night here, in Lusaka. We go and get our stuff and take a "chalet" in a packpacker place called "chachacha".
Our new friends are a polish man and a japanese girl. The polish man has been travelling for years, can speak japanese, has been to about 150 countries, takes photos and sells them to pay for the travelling, is a private pilot, can yacht,,etc. He appears to own several bmw bikes scattered round the world. This all sounds as though he is wealthy but I think not. They mostly camp and cook for themselves. They are aged 25/26. We chat, and sample the fungi that they bought from the side of the road .
12th jan fri
We leave Marcin the pole and Acane the japanese girlfriend. Marcin has to get a visa for Namibia in Lusaka because he is Polish. Neither we nor the japanese need one. We hope to see them again in Livingstone.
We have a long ride today if want to get to Livingstone. We dont have to but the problem is a place to stay in between. Choma is the best bet if we do not make it.
The road is good,empty and mostly straight...like the great northern road we had come on to Lusaka. Green grass with shrubs and trees. Ranching in one area and sugar (cane) in another. Big white farmers it would seem. Otherwise same little villages with grass roofed houses. People hang around, bicycles wobble and we keep hand on horn..just in case.
Clives bike seems to be hanging in there but his brakes are getting worse. We tried to renew the brake fluid yesterday but no success. He has servo assisted brakes...complicated. My back brake had air in it. It must have a tiny leak. It is working again for now.
We head off down a 500m dirt track to find the "Riverside lodge" hoping for some food. I ride through one large puddle on the sandy track and then slip in the next and drop the bike! I am unlucky in puddles. But I dont get wet...remain on feet!
Next stop we try and get tea or coffee but the cafe did not have any. They always have a coke or pepsi or Fanta though. Sit and drink and watch 2 local men play draughts on a board with bottle tops as pieces. 2 mothers sit with their tiny babies. One strange man comes in and expects us to buy him a coke. We watch the bikes.
Off again. We reach our destination , the Jollyboys backpacker place in Livingstone at 5ish. Tomorrow the falls.
13th jan sat
Take Jollyboys bus down to the falls . Blue sky and looking to be hot..no rain for once. Low key tourism makes this a much more pleasant experience than I had imagined. I compare it with 4 years ago and the Niagara Falls ....all that tourism and regulation. Here we buy a ticket and wander off on a choice of 3 paths. We find the falls very impressive. Very wide across and a 100m or so drop; much bigger than Niagara. The spray from the falls was as heavy as rain: difficult for taking photos. I did all 3 paths..one was a descent of many steps and then a climb back up. It was a very hot ascent! We then spent quite sometime with the curio sellers. They all sold much the same things . We did some deals in the end. How we will carry what we bought on the bikes is another matter!
Back to Jollyboys where I sign up for rafting on the Zambezi.Clive declines. There are many activities to pursue here including bungee jumping,abseilling, rafting,canoeing, etc. So its up at 7am for me.
Marcin and Acane make it to here. We chat again. He is a keen photographer and is carrying around 2 Haselblad cameras on his bike.
14th jan sun
I am up at 7am to get ready for the trip to go rafting. Off at 7.30 to join others from other hotels. We have breakfast and training and then off we go. Walked down a steep path to get to the river over rock falls etc. We rafted between rapid 7b and 23. (Up to category 5). Great fun. The Zambezi is very warm and the water runs very deep and fast in this gorge below the falls. Thus not much danger of hitting rocks. We did alot of swimming too as we were allowed to jump out of the boat between rapids. Getting back out of the gorge was made easier with the aid of a strange kind of train on a wire that pulled us up seated backwards. Saved a lot of sweat!! An hours bumpy truck ride through the countryside and we were back to base. In the meantime Clive washed bikes and `saw to things`. Says it was not his cup of tea and that he could not afford it.
15th jan mon
Off to Botswana! Only 60 kms to a ferry across the Zambezi . Zambia looks much the same here as it did in the north. I have found the motorbiking rather dull in this country. Clive has liked it.! I thought Livingstone had lots to offer and was good. Lusaka seemed okay but we did hear all sorts of stories about the crime. Some good looking big farms all around Lusaka especially.
Our last evening in Livingstone we went to The Waterside (lodge). It had a lovely eating area and bar right by the river edge. We watched the sunset go down over the river, had some drinks and ate. Would have been a nice place to stay but we are not running to $185 per night.
The ferry is small...could take one long truck and us. We have no border problems and the Botswana side is not busy.
Our plan is to stop in the first town, Kasane, check in to somewhere and get ourselves on an afternoon river cruise on the River Chobe. It runs along the edge of the Chobe Nat. Park. We hope to see some wildlife.
The trip is good. Very pleasant way to see the animals and birds. No bumping around! It lasted 3 hours and we nosed up close to crocs and hippos and a herd of elephants splashing around in the water. Lots of Fish Eagles and other lovely birds , inc giant kingfisher and bee eaters.
Quick shop when back and off to our room at Liya guest house. Some whart hogs casually crossed the road in front of us. First impression is that all is more organised and efficient. Crime less? Seem very helpful.
16th jan tues
Leave Kasani and within a few miles on the main road encounter a herd of elephants. Amazing! After that we saw the odd one or two but always the sign of them ie their shit on the road.
This is bush country...not savanah. They have had some rain and so it is green. A couple of really large farms on this flat plain stand out. Otherwise we see no villages, none at all. Goodbye to people on the road, goodbye to people in traditional dress, goodbye to bicycles, goodbye to bags of charcoal. Hello to donkeys again. Dogs roving and untethered animals.
Read that Botswana had a population of 1.6m about 4 years ago. Thats not many people. Perhaps that explains why we see no villages on this road! One agricultural settlement, one woman walking by the road in 150 miles. Very little traffic. A few cars have travelled the road in the past....their rusting remains lie in the bush. Collision with an animal or fallen asleep at the wheel?
We arrive in Nata, a junction village. Thought we would spendc the night there but it seems to be 3 petrol stations and no more. However there is the Nata lodge outside town down the road. It is the only option. It is for tourists and has tourist prices . We opt for a safari tent. It is a tent on a platform. It even has a bath inside it! It has all amenities inside a tent. Birds sing and the sky rumbles. We are beside the largest salt pans in Africa. Maybe we should see them.
17 th jan wed
We have now booked our bikes into BMW Pretoria for Monday morning. This is mainly to sort out Clive"s problem with his back wheel. My bike has the brake problem but with a can of brake fluid its ok. Horn doesn`t always work but resets itself (clever electrics).
Having done that we do not have far to travel before Mon am. I have a cold and "funny" throat so not on top of the world. Nevertheless decide to do oil change. Very sandy countryside so old oil is pored down a dug sandy hole. I lie in my bather on a towel on the sand and slowly undo nuts. Its 38c again. The heat saps the energy as well as my cold. Clive assists and together it is successfully done.
In the afternoon we go to see the saltpans. We got that wrong! Firstly wrong time of year and the pan is one metre under water. Secondly thunder rumbles,lightning flits across the sky and soon it is raining. Saw some pelicans from a distance. One springbok! Not great!!
Thunder still rumbling back here. At least cooler.
18th jan thurs
A leisurely drive gets us to Francistown today. After having seen so few villages it is quite a surprise. Proper pavements, smart shopping centres and even a fast internet. Even though crime is not meant to be a problem all shopping centres have guards and houses have electric wire running round them. Everyone friendly though.
We passed through some villages today. Mix of old round mud and smart painted new concrete houses. Occasional cart pulled by 4 donkeys all abreast. Donkeys, cattle, horses wander the roadside. They all belong to someone! Beef is big here. (Clive had the best bit of african beef he has had all trip at the Nata lodge last night. ). Did a bit of reading of the guide and find that diamonds are big here too... We haven"t seen any yet!
Queue in bank for an hour to change some money. Lady in queue tells us about somewhere to stay tomorrow night so time not entirely wasted!
The hotel had said there was a restaurant with a bar that had beer and cider but no wine. When we went along we found there was about 4 tables in a very hot room with a kitchen in the corner. Drink was in cold cabinets. Big fat mama in the kitchen said choice of lamb or beef. We said lamb. We got beef! Tough. Luckily we had brought our own wine. Big fat mama very friendly and sings while cooking our tough ( we had only ordered one plate luckily) meal.
19th jan fri
Suffering now from a cough and cold, I coughed my way through the night. But it is not malaria!
Heading now for the border at Martins Drift. We intend to stay just inside Botswana where lady in bank suggested.
We see one or two donkey carts. One was being pulled by 5 donkeys! Later we saw donkeys ploughing: first saw 3 on one plough and then 6 ( 3 pairs) on one plough. Mechanisation indeed!
We reach the border and wonder where this lodge is. Then see sign ;through garage forecourt and down dirt track. Not far and there it is. As we walk through there is a flash of the most amazing turquoise...some bird !
So here we are for the night. The only guests I think. Out the back is a muddy looking slow flowing Limpopo river, of Kipling fame. Will a croc come out tonight? Seen some monkeys rushing around so immediately took my soft bag off the bike and took it inside.
In the evening we get quite involved in political discussions re the area with the new share holder and an old boer hand electrical engineer. And Clive, relaxed, discusses.....until I drag him away. Late...
20th jan sat.
Left our pretty spot,filled up with petrol and headed the few yards to the border. Out of Botswana, over the Limpopo river (narrow old bridge) and into South Africa, our final country of this trip.
No problems at all except the bureau de change which proclaimed it was having tea (girls were eating on the step outside) and that it would be open in 10 or 15 mins. We gave up on that and changed money in nearest town.
Fences, miles and endless miles of fences ,hits our eyes. Tall electric fences, shorter ones,wire ones, wooden ones etc. To keep animals in or out and provide security. You"ve got to have a fence! There were fences in Botswana too but not with this intensity.
Bush country continues until we see some hills which are the Waterburg range.
We have a good lunch in Thabazimbi a real Africaans stronghold with little English being spoken. Shortly after we set off my bike suddenly dies on me! Not battery this time , must be fuel. Blame the botswanian garage. Only I had petrol there......half a tank full. Rather hopelessly we pull off petrol pipe from tank and check it.. Petrol is flowing but we feel it may have been watered down, it doesn"t smell like normal petrol. We try starting and starts straight away. Off we go only to stop again about half an hour later. Same process same result. Fill up with more petrol to dilute whats in the tank but it makes no difference keeps periodically dying. Taking off pipe does not make any difference. Just have to wait a while and then it will start again. However it does seem to be getting slowly worse, and stops every 10 minutes then every 5 minutes etc. Maybe its the fuel filter? But flows from tank....
We are aiming for Mabula lodge near Warmbad (now Bela Bela). Last 11km is dirt and the bike dies 3 or 4 times but finally makes it. This lodge is in a game reserve and we are not allowed to ride motorbikes from the entrance gates. They have to send a ranger to pick us up. We are not impressed as it means leaving the bikes 4 kms from where we hope to stay.
Clive has done a timeshare swap on this place. It had been booked for the week beginning 26th Jan but we are 6 days early. We are hoping they might have empty units this week so that a further swap can take place. After lengthy discussions they let us do this. However we are going to try and get to Pretoria tonight so that bikes can be fixed at Bavarian Motors . We have booked them in for Monday morning. This now seems rather fortunate for my bike, whilst Clives which we were most concerned about appears to be working fine up to about 120 Kph. ! After our bike repairs we will come back here and can stay till Friday am.
My tickly cough plays havoc in the night, must get some medicine.!
21st jan sun
We get a lift back to our bikes that are parked by the gates. Kindly the timeshare lady has brought along the parks mechanic. We look for the problem. He thinks its electrical management problems and not the fuel. Unable to do anything. So we set off to Pretoria with virtually the whole day free to cover 150 kms.
My bike stops twice before we reach the motorway and then on the motorway it probably stopped half a dozen times. Each time we just have to wait until the engine decides to start. When it starts it starts straight away. No spluttering or missfiring etc. Sometimes it would take 5 mins, sometimes 15 or so. Sitting on the hard shoulder in full sun was not much fun! We do make it and head in to town. Bike then stops outside a McDonalds of all places. In the McDonalds we are chatted to by a nice South African, he is fascinated by our trip. He goes and we sit down to our lunch. About 20 minutes later as we are leaving he is just coming back and wants to invite us to stay with him. He explains he has spoken to his wife and has a separate guest wing etc etc. So we meet Theo and follow him home to his lovely house.. My bike does not quite make it so Clive tows me the last few hundred yards! Theo and Iona are very hospitable. They have a lovely house with a great garden and pool as well as a daughter called Nina ! And a son. They wine and dine us royally with a couple of friends that come round, a great evening.
My cough is still a bore but Clive got some cough mixture and some tablets so hope to conquer it.
22nd jan mon.
Up to get bikes to Bavarian Motors. Theo leads us. My bike stops 3 times, last time not far from workshop:Clive goes on with Theo. It takes about 20mins for it to start again and finally arrive.In the meantime Clive has gone out with pickup and trailer to pick me up! Explain problem and the other things that need doing. Theo then insists that he takes us to Midrand, another bmw dealership. He shows us the Union buildings on the way. Pretoria appears to be a pleasant looking city.
We all end up back at the bike shop and Theo says goodbye. The bikes will be finished today.
The problem with my bike is finally diagnosed...it ends up that it is a sensor that tells the spark plug to spark or to put it another way... that senses the engine is turning. Something like that. There is another sensor on the fuel pump which could have been the problem.
Clives bike had a spacer missing near the bearing causing his wobbly wheel. Did the Tanzanian mechanic lose that?
It is 5pm before all is done. We head back to Mabula, both bikes now capable of going much faster on the motorway! The last bit of road,( dirt) is done in the dark. We are welcomed to a braai (barbeque).
23rd jan tues
A day of rest. We are befriended by a couple from Jo"burg who invite us to their timeshare for the evening. Their place is more remote than where we are staying...good for wildlife. We accept their very kind invitation.
Always wanted to ride a quad bike so take up an opportunity here,in the afternoon. Off go Clive and I behind one of the rangers. We use some special quad bike tracks. Slow start but gradually faster and faster round these tracks. Clive hot on the heels of the ranger and me following in all the dust. It was good fun but Clive and I ended up very dusty indeed!
Our hosts pick us up for our meal with them. They are keen wildlife watchers. Warthogs right beside their terrace (mother and 3 young) are being fed watermelon. Later bush babies creep out of their roof to then leap off into the trees before returning at dawn. Sitting after our meal outside we hear a russling in the grass which grows louder and louder until a very large male buffalo appears out of the darkness. He continues to munch his way through the grass towards us, until he is only about 6 yards away, but is not phased by our presence. Then in the torch light we watch him some more, and when we left an hour or so later he was still munching away and another six or seven were just out of sight.
24th and 25th jan wed/thur
Start the day with our free game drive..Comes with the timeshare. Up early! 04.45! and see a good selection of game including Rhino, but no Lion or elephants.
Make plans as to where to head next. Decide to stay here till friday, ie the end of the timeshare.
I take a horse ride in the bush. It was good but hot. Nice way to see animals. We also do a bush walk. I am feeling so unfit! Bush walk disappointing as far as wild life goes and we see no animals! I have enjoyed looking at Rock Hyraxes out of our chalet window .
26th jan fri
A ranger came and picked us up and took us to our bikes by the gates. We are off again. Down the dirt track and off to Bela Bela first where we buy wine for our hosts this evening. We are heading for Kempton Park near Jo"burg to friends of Paul Howell. Down the motorway to Pretoria (again) and then onto Midrand where Clive is hoping that his bag with a failing zip will be replaced for free. It was! Small ride to Benoni, past lots of new housing on the rolling hill sides ,where we internet before ringing Johan. We are not as close to his place as we thought and he drives about 10kms to find us. He has a very nice place .
Louise, his wife,prepares dinner for us with Johan being the cook at the braai... very tender fillet steak cooked to perfection. We talk about Johan"s pilot work and what the ESV group (Paul Howell) is doing in Mozambique. They are planning to plant up to 130 thousand acres of Jutrophia (?) which is going to produce bio diesel in a very pure form. We hear horror stories of the crime that goes on. He also advises us of where not to go ie the wild coast. His house has plenty of dogs that will bark, security that will turn up in 5 mins if the alarm is triggered and doors that need to remain shut. He has had more than one armed break-in in spite of all this and it is getting worse. He is not as optimistic about the future as Theo. Many thanks to Louise and Johan.
27th jan sat
We leave Johan and Louise after a good breakfast. Johan kindly takes us to the road we need. Its a motorway day. Round Jo"burg and then off in the direction of Durban. Lots of new housing estates cover the rolling hillsides. Modern commercial developments, modern shopping arcades...it all looks as though SA is doing okay. But we had heard from Johan and Louise that all is not so good underneath. Powercuts that have plunged part of Jo"burg into darkness for days due to lack of maintenance at the power plant; local power cables cut and stolen for the metal content and phones lines cut and stolen for the same reason. They themselves had not had a phone line for the last two months since as fast as it was replaced it was cut and stolen again!
The rolling hills give way to open farmland with a few scattered trees a bit like northern France. Main crop is maize. Cattle herds eat grass. A lot of land lies fallow. Before Harrismith we have been passed by a number of fast sport bikes including "the jo"burg pack" a particularly dangerous lot who went by us on the hard shoulder as well as the fast lane at the same time. None of them had number plates on their bikes. Then a very large thunderstorm threatens on our right but we slip past admiring the lightning. Countryside changes and we get more hills . The road climbs up and down. Rain threatens again and this time we have to stop and put on our waterproofs whilst sheltering under a bridge. It pours and my face without a visor stings in the rain. My sunglasses fog up and get waterdrops on both sides. The country then looks like Exmoor in the rain......bleak and grey.! Unfortunately it does not stop raining and the expected sun does not shine. It gets cold, temp going from 33c to 14c. We plug on as we are nearing Penny and John at Howick near Pietermaritzburg. Penny is the daughter of some people I know. We are greeted warmly and are soon in the dry stripping off our wet clothing. We meet the 2 children, Frances and Moses. John is away but makes it back later that night. We chat about their trip by bike from Cape Town to London that they did in 1995.
28th jan sun
The sun is shining...thank goodness. After a great breakfast with Penny,John and children we take our leave. Retrace our route on the motorway for one hour. This time we can see, the rain made it miserable, and enjoy the scenery. Heading off we make our way on a lovely road to Clarans which is just north of Lesotho in Free State.
The scenery is big..big hills and valleys, rocky peaks, flat topped, small ponds and lakes. Trees and forests vie with grassland and fields of maize. We are above 1000m and it is cooler. We go over 2 or 3 wide passes with great views.
Clarans seems very pleasant. Touristy, as this is within reach of weekenders from Jo"burg. But this is low season and it is not busy. Security less of an issue it seems.
29th jan mon
Day to enjoy Clarens. This place was founded in 1912 in memory of Paul Kruger, the first president of ZAR. He was deposed after the 2nd Anglo/boer war and went to live in Clarens in Switzerland. Hence this place is modeled on a swiss village.
We do some white water rafting on the Ash river which has been enlarged because of the Lesotho highland water project. Water has been dammed in Lesotho and then piped for 80 odd kms through the mountains to near here. The water ends up in Jo"burg .
Clarens is a nice little place with pretty little touristy shops. Nice cafes including the Artists cafe which Clive particularly likes as they do a very good pancake stuffed with icecream and topped with caramel sauce.!
Just nearby, parked in the grass is a very old Hills Chalmers tractor. It is a 3 wheeler..one in front and two at the back. It is not going anywhere any more though.
30th jan tues.
Leave Clarens early as rain forecast. Our landlady had grown more and more talkative and was beginning to get on our nerves.
Have decided to take a peek at Lesotho and so head for the Caledons gate. Plan to exit after about 100 miles near the capital Maseru. Pretty hilly landscape but well populated on this route. Good road but lots of minibuses and some fairly ropey cars. Much herding with blanket clad herders. Some donkeys and some cattle pulling carts. Plenty of farming land but not good looking crops. Very friendly people and proud of their country.
Rain had threatened and eventually engulfs us in a very heavy thunderstorm on one of the higher parts of the route. The wind howled and the rain lashed. Clive stopped and I had gone on so he got cross. I turned back and we went on again but now very soaked. Clives waterproofs are on their last legs, my leggings are not great but my jacket would have done better if I had had my pockets done up. As it was the rain could go straight in which it did. We were both wet through. But we did ride out the other side, reached Maseru and then exited Lesotho. Back in SA we head on south and stop in Hobhouse a town on the way for some lunch. Its a bit like a cowboy town...big wide semi deserted streets with the store and church. We stop at the store. Run by whites with a bunch of locals sitting outside.
All friendly and helpful. We get some "takeaway" food and with our waterproofs off sit outside and try and dry out a bit.
Back on with waterproofs and on to Zastron. The countryside is rolling grassland with very little happening. Odd settlements, few herds of cattle, few rocky outcrops and lots of open unused countryside. Reach Zastron, strange american style town too. Hotel has been here 100 years! Very little going on! Internet cafe but it is shut. ATM wont take my card. Bit critical!
31st jan wed
South Africa has thrown up a couple of new phrases. One is "off ramp" which means exit and "robots" which are traffic lights. Another wonder of here is that the hotels have the thinnest loo paper in the world. You need at least 6 sheets to blow your nose on let alone anything else.
Still, our road has neither robots nor ramps. It is good, straight and deserted. We make easy progress through a very empty countryside. Scattered farm houses, few herds of cattle, the odd ostrich, and artesan wells with their windmill for pumping,dot the landscape. Grass as far as the eye can see on the rolling hills. It has now become very dry and today gets very hot, 35c. We understand that it is a heatwave...so unlucky to swelter so.
The towns remind us of the USA still. In Alliwal North we stop for breakfast. Its a busy place with a shanty town on its outskirts. Each town has a township and/or a shanty town on the outskirts...each to their own area it seems.Clive queues for ages at an ATM, partly for my benefit. My card has been rejected the last couple of days. Texted the bank manager last night. Will I get a reply? Poor Clive, when he reaches the machine his card fails. This is worrying. However he tries in the next town and all is well.
Before leaving Alliwal we find an internet cafe. It is in the back of a DIY place in a shopping mall. Not a likely place at all!
We reach Cradock which is a big town but decide to go one town further to Cookhouse. When we get there we find it is no good..rather rough looking so on one more to Somerset East. All these english names! Now on the Blue Crane trail apparently and find the Blue Crane B & B to stay in. Power cut in the evening makes life tricky in the restaurant but we get some food in the end. The Barclays manager texts and says problem sorted. Longing to know what the problem was.
1st Feb thurs
Have excellent breakfast at "Rika"s. Must not eat any more all day!
The countryside has now become less dry looking. We head towards the coast through scrubby country and come down to Port Elizabeth in a powerful wind. The road is good, Little traffic and we head for Jeffreys Bay for a pause. Bit like a retirement town on our south coast or Penzance (sort of). Encounter Brits on vacation or living here? Nice surfing beach.
After the stop Clive selects the more modern coast road whilst I prefer the old one. Agree to meet in Knysna, about 100 miles on. My road had two passes which I enjoyed; baboons crossing the road and lovely forest with dangling creepers. Knysna seems to have plenty of british second homes. Pretty place with a lagoon and island protected from the Indian ocean. Nice houses, modern: and security does not seem an issue. So different to Jo"burg.!
2nd Feb.fri
I am disappointed with the Garden Route. It has not been as long as I thought. The road has been widened and modernised so that it is no longer scenic. It cuts through the landscape like a scar. Knysna to Mussel Bay is attractive. Lagoons of sea water lie behind rocky headlands like harbours. Smart houses dot the hill sides. The old road takes a more scenic route (but Clive does not like it). Good looking surf but no one surfing...
After Mussel Bay the road leaves the coast and heads off through farmland. All looks brown...it is post harvest here and the wheat stubbles are being grazed by animals and ostrich. We head for the most southerly point on this continent; Cape Agulhas, across a brown and wind swept peninsula. Stop short at Bredasdorp , an agricultural town.
3rd feb sat.
We have made it to the southernmost point of Africa.! Rocky, misty, a lighthouse and fishermen. Where the atlantic ocean meets the indian ocean.
Next goal to see the winelands just to the northeast of Cape town. Head inland past Blue cranes and Cape vultures on the brown fields. Lots of birds of prey in the sky. Wide valleys with mountains around. Vines and fruit growing in the valley . Water a scarce resource and there are many little private reservoirs. We go over the Bainskloof pass. Not so high but pretty. Stay in Wellington at Bakkies B&B. Security getting tighter as we near Cape Town!
4th feb sun
Not moving far but ride in a circle round the winery area. I have been here in 2001 and want to show Clive bits that I remember. We go to an estate called Boschendal. Founded by Hugenots. We do Franschtoek pass and Sir Lowry pass. Neither high but wonderful views. Lowry pass shows us Cape point in the distance and False Bay...the end of this journey. Good roads.... the only thing to note was broken down cars belonging to the locals! And Cape golden delicious apple! But before we reach Cape Town we want to call on Carla and Andre whom we met just over a year ago on the Epyptian border at Aqaba. They are south african, living near Stellenbosch. They were on a long journey in their landcruiser and we were on bikes doing the round the med trip. Together we worked our way through the border bureaucracy for 4 hours. I then followed the rest of their journey through africa via their diary, travelongravel.tk.
So we met up and had a couple of hours at their home near Stellenbosch before leaving to spend the night in the town.
5th feb mon
We have made it! We reach Cape Town in the morning. 12700 miles ( 20320 kms) We find Anna and Paul"s lovely house and are greeted warmly by them and their huge black labrador Toby. I have not seen Anna for several years.
In the afternon we make the mandatory trip up Table mountain. It has its "table cloth" on it and it swirls around as we take photos. Cable car back down and then we walk the rest of the way back to A and P"s. In the evening they take us to the Waterfront area and we have a good meal.
6th feb tues
Arrange to meet Ian Baker late morning. Set off on bikes and met with Ian and his girlfriend. He looks well. He had to have an operation on his toe but it is now better. He had broken his sternum and pulled lots of muscles and ligaments as he slid down the road. His bike is still awaiting repair in Jo"burg. Nice to meet with him again.
We then set off round the cape peninsula...last bit to do. Reach the Cape of Good Hope sign. A coach load of chinese are swarming all over the sign taking endless photos. We want to take photo of ourselves,the sign and the bikes. We wait, but they start taking photos of us and our bikes! Then we move bikes in front and they want to take themselves and our bikes and then themselves and us and our bikes! One lady speaks english and finds out we are from England. Then it was even more requests for photos! Eventually we get our photo and get them to take us! All good fun and they clap as we ride off! Carry on round the cape and see the penquins on Boulder beach. Home to Anna and Paul who then take us to see Cape Town from the other side of the bay...the side the postcards show. Then out to Panama Jacks, a local restaurant almost inside the container port.
7th feb wed
Off to shipping agent. Unfortunately flying the bikes is just too expensive so its got to be a slow boat home for them. With any luck they will arrive at Tilbury docks in about 3 weeks. Discuss details with CD Shipping and arrange to meet tomorrow to pack them into their crates.
On the way back we go via Zeekovlei, a piece of water near where the Deakens have a house and where I was lucky enough to be invited in 2001 to sail my laser.
Do a complete repack in the afternoon ready for tomorrow . Anna and Paul have invited friends in for this evening. We have a good dinner and end up very late to bed. We are not used to it!
8th feb thurs
We have to clean the bikes before shipping. Luckily it is not as hot as yesterday, 37c, and we are grateful for some clouds to keep things cooler. We are meant to remove all soil.
Anna has rung the local press! They come and interview us and afterwards its off to the shipppers. There, we take off the windshields, mirrors and handlebars so that they will fit in the crate.Strapped down to a pallet, covered in plastic and then 4 cardboard sides and top fitted.
A driver kindly took us back home. So thats almost it. Bikes are on their way back hopefully. Should leave beginning next week on a container ship bound for England. It takes 2 weeks at sea.
9th feb Friday
Relaxing day! No bikes and just waiting for our flight this evening . Anna and Paul entertain us and take us shopping etc. Its actually a rainy day, fairly miserable and cold by Cape Town standards. Preparing us for England! Get worried by weight of my baggage. Two motorcycle panniers went with the bike but I have 2 more heavy bags. Hear that BA are going to charge extra…in the future… if you have 2 bags and wondered how we could have made one bag out of two panniers!!! Paul and Anna kindly take us to the airport and we say our goodbye’s. They really did round off our trip in a very special way. Luggage is checked in …all okay and catch flight at 20.50. Sit on tarmac for an hour before take off. We have kept our exact homecoming secret from my parents and will be surprising them tomorrow….we hope.
10th Feb Saturday
We arrive back to Heathrow. Its raining but not snowing. We are met by my old friend, “Bugsi”. He takes us to King’s Cross station after we have had a good breakfast together. Then to King’s Lynn by train where we are met by my mother. We phoned her when we were on the train. She was in Burnham Stores at the time. Our phone call excited her so much that she could not concentrate on her shopping ( so we are told any way).
Statistics.
We travelled 12700 miles ( 20320 kms) over a period of 17 weeks. We had no punctures. Clive got stuck once and never dropped his bike. I got stuck once but dropped mine several times, twice in water! We have a combined age of 110 years. Clive’s bike, the oldest of the two, had a broken wheel bearing, whilst mine, newer, had an electrical sensor play up. It also lost its back mudguard twice ( never replaced after 2nd time) and small breakages ( mostly to do with being dropped!).
And last but not least.... our special thanks to Henry and Louise in Nairobi, John and Nicola in Lusaka, Theo and Iona in Pretoria, Johan and Louise in Jo`burg, John and Penny in Howick, and of course Paul and Anna in Cape Town all of whom fed and watered us so liberally.....!!
16th Feb 2008 - 6th Mar 2008
The Cambodia Trip
Saturday Feb 16th
In the planning of this trip we had decided to make the journey to Heathrow on the morning of the flight. We would need to be there by 9am which would mean getting up at 4am (according to Clive). We intended to go to the airport on our bikes! Free parking for 2 and half weeks. In the event the forecast dictated . Freezing cold temperatures for our morning trip (-4/5c) changed our minds and we set off this late afternoon to reach a hotel near Heathrow. Yes, eating into the car park savings , so you may question `why? on the motorbikes in freezing cold weather! I guess it is the adventure/challenge bit...what else? We do have a car but choose to die of cold instead.
We set off at 5pm. Clive on his old Goldwing. It had had a puncture a few days back which Clive fixed. He is good at plugging punctures . It is barely above freezing but dry and a lovely clear dusk. I am dressed in several layers...6...which includes a heated waistcoat and my summer motorcycle jkt (for Cambodia). I have heated handlebar grips. Clive does not have any heating. He has balaclavas and 3 pairs of gloves on.
All goes well until halfway when Clive starts going rather slowly. I wonder why until I realise he is weaving around a bit and has a soft tyre. We manage to get to South Mimms services. The plug has come out of his tyre. Amazingly we have brought puncture repair stuff with us. In freezing temps we replug the tyre. Air pump at garage difficult to operate but in the end it inflates. We succeed and on we go to a Comfort Hotel near Heathrow. Just manage to be in time to eat. Nice start!
Sunday 17th feb
Well, we went out to the bikes expecting Clive`s tyre to be flat...but it was okay. However the temp gauge on my bike was registering -6c or so. The bikes were covered in frost. Beautiful day and only 2 or 3 miles to go. Mine started but Clive`s gave us some anxious 5 mins before he finally brought it to life. This bike of Clive`s is 24 plus years old and bought on Ebay in November.
Found motorcycle parking eventually (1a shortstay) and quickly sorted ourselves out. Terminal 3 here we come.
Monday 18th feb
The 2 flights (London -Kuala Lumpur,Kuala Lumpur-Phnom Penh) went according to plan and we found ourselves 7 hours ahead of GMT in a warm and busy Phnom Penh. Feeling rather fazed we checked into the Billabong hotel and slept!
In the evening we went and had a drink over looking the river Sap at the Foreign Correspondents Club, (FCC), a lovely old colonial building still exuding that expat feeling. (Clive felt at home!)
We met one of our 3 fellow bike tour people, Peter. He is also staying at the Hotel Billabong.
As soon as you step out of the hotel you are offered a tuk tuk ride or a pillion on a moped! Having watched the traffic from our taxi to the hotel we have decided that we would prefer life in our own hands on 2 wheels and will decline pillion rides on mopeds
Tuesday 19th feb
Wake at 7am to the sounds of building on the building site next door. Hand made concrete being poured down hand made shuttering. The whole new building being held up with wobbly looking wooden scaffolding.We head for the central market on foot. Clive buys fruit and a pair of shorts. The market is remarkably clean and tidy. Virtually all the stalls are run by women. The whole market is housed in an enormous domed building.
Back to hotel for breakfast then off to internet and then into a tuk tuk for some sightseeing. We saw the genocide museum the kings palace and the silver pagoda. That was enough so back to hotel in our faithful tuk tuk. For his services it was 6 dollars.
Out in evening to meet the gang. Us two and three more men. Peter we have met and so we met John and Ori; Tour leaders Sonia(half Polish/half Iranian) and her Cambodian partner Paeng. All is set for tomorrow with a 7am start.
Traffic in P P flows inspite of masses of mopeds. They have a special way of turning left which slightly blows your mind. No use of mirrors, you must just concentrate on things in front. To turn left you drift gently to the middle of the road and then, when you can before the junction, you cross the oncoming traffic in your road and drive on the far edge against the traffic. As you reach the corner you go round still on the wrong side of the road. Then when there is a chance you head for the correct side of the road. Manoeuvre complete.! Using this method you should be able to keep moving all the time! If you stay alive.
Wed 20th feb
Picked up at 7am and off to bikes. I have a 230cc honda which is supposedly lower. Bit tall nevertheless but so light compared with my own. Off we go doing those special left turns! Get out of town and head for Kompong Cham.. Soon we are on dirt.
Clive and I think speed is too fast through villages. Macho boys are going very fast. My bike is little and is doing a good job but the road is rough and my seat and springs seem very hard. In fact, by the end of the day we are all suffering from sore bums. We should be standing up but its too fast and too long.
The country unfolds. Lots of the same as we follow the Mekong river all day. Villages are made up of wooden houses all up on stilts. Animals under in the shade and hammocks . Houses clean looking, orderly.large leggy cows/oxen seem to do the field work. Saw a one furrow wooden plough going off to work behind 2 oxen. People on mopeds,bicycles and in small pony carts. As we left P P we started to see these small ponies..Hardly bigger than a donkey. Smart harnesses with a tassel thing as decoration. Bicycles being used to carry all sorts.
Plenty of temples along the way. We stop at one. It is a collection of funny buildings, shrines, sacred trees etc. Every now and then would be a terrific loud loudspeaker system blaring out distorted noise from one of these temple/monastery places. Very disconcerting and glad I had my helmet on.
We caught a wooden ferry across the Mekong at one point. Road dirt of varying types..mostly clay that was mercifully dry. Hazards were children (seemed to be under control) dogs, chickens and sand.
Finally stopped in Kratie. New hotel, rooms only. We ate very well for $6 each down the road. Sonia very helpful when choosing food. She doesn`t always come on their tours but it is nice she has as she is a mine of info about Cambodia.
Thurs 21st feb.
Up and ready by 7am in our dusty clothes. Off finally at 8.15am. First 3 hours are tarmac. Fascinating life going on beside the road in their linear settlements. On one side is the Mekong and fish and on the other fertile farmland. Some houses are on very tall legs, poss 12/15ft above the ground. Generally a plank to the road which is raised above the surrounding land. Later we saw houses with ladder like steps. It certainly stops the very young from running out of the front door.! Some houses have enormous pots near them/under them.for holding water Chickens and animals scratch around.
We leave the Mekong and head north and east to Rattanakiri. We do 140 kms on dirt road. Its been graded so its not bad.
See a crashed lorry or two (one a recent/today happening). I ran out of petrol and waiting by the bike for back up got covered in dust by passing vehicles. Did hear some lovely sounding bird song though. The wood beside me had been burnt. We saw a lot of `slash and burn` today. Very depressing to think that people are still following that life style. Other wooded areas had had fires, intentional or not.
Clive had not noticed I was not behind him...this is because we do not have mirrors and it is not possible to watch the road and turn your head right round. We do not know what is going on behind us.
This afternoon stretch of road was quite straight through forested countryside. The one thing that kept us on our toes were the bridges over little dykes etc. Denoted by a couple of posts and a slight narrowing of the road; you could worry if you could not see any planks. This meant there was a big hole or planks were missing. Could be tricky! We all had our moments.!
End up just north of Ban Lung in an hotel run by a Swede. Been open 3 months.
I take a walk to a well known crater lake that was formed over 700,000 years ago, Yeak Laom. John ,one of our group ,swims in it. Not sure I fancied it...looked very murky. Sonia said it was 50m deep.
Friday 22nd feb.
Today Ori and John go off with the Swede who it turns out is a trails bike man. We brits..Clive, Peter and I, go with Paeng and Sonia to see a hill tribe village. Nice trail for 35k through the jungle till we reach a riverside village. Then the fun starts. `Our` village is on the other side so its down steps to the river and into one of those very narrow dug out type boats. With crash helmet in hand and rucksack with all my worldly/camera etc goods in it I climb into, and sit on bum, in this boat with two slightly panicky big men! Clive and Peter are not happy! Peter cannot swim and was now in imminent danger of capsize. Clive was worried about his camera in the rucksack. Off we go ,wobbly. Two guys paddling. River water is warm and it seems quite shallow. No crocs! We all made it including cameras/mobiles etc.
See village..all very basic..no school and speaking strange language. They have many tourists coming because they have an interesting burial site which we go and see. Boat trip back across is less tense. The two heavy weights go together and I go with the other two in the second trip. Also this time the boat has slightly higher gunwales and is powered by engine. Nevertheless it is pretty wobbly.
Back on bikes and off to a busy place down river to have lunch. Watch pigs snuffling round in the rubbish and the very basic ferry, only a little wider than our boat, take mopeds across the river.Then it was back to Bang Lung and off the other side to a waterfall where we had a swim under the fall. Very refreshing. Sadly Peter had taken a tumble on the way and he went back to the hotel.
The dirt roads are mostly in good condition . Very busy with moped traffic and few cars and small trucks. We do keep seeing more intrepid europeans. Quite a lot are french . One british girl I spoke to yesterday had come on the bus. She said it was a most uncomfortable journey.
Country is surprisingly free of flies or any annoying insects. Hear pretty sounding bird song and gibbon but see very little. We now have red/yellow dust ingrained in our clothing and belongings! Second night here near Bang Lung.
Sat 23 rd feb.
Amazingly I write this from a small place called Chheb ? We were destined to sleep on a mat on bare boards but Clive and I have been lucky and we have a bed, albeit very hard. Underneath the generator is noisily generating electricity. Next door endless children are watching a telly powered by this generator whilst the light bulbs are powered by car batteries. The whole village is much like this though some do not have generators...just some car batteries. Pigs and dogs and chickens roam the streets of sand and rubbish. Mopeds, even here, whizz around. We are in bed and its only 8.30pm. Our evening meal with beer, coca cola etc and breakfast cost $8 each.(£4)
We began the day doing an easy dirt road back to Stung Treng where we caught a ferry across the river Mekong. Whilst waiting on the pier for the right boat we watched pigs being manhandled with tied feet strung on a pole. First off a boat and then either 2 on a moped with 2 people or into a trailer pulled by an ancient moped. The pigs were first weighed and the heaviest was about 150 kgs. The trailer took 7 pigs so the moped hauled at least 700kgs! It was fascinating. Our boat arrived and 7 bikes were manhandled on board and down. It was a wooden boat and not very wide...wide enough to take 2 bikes side by side.
Thus we reached the other side. 90 kms of forest track to be done. Up and down, in and out, sand, some not very nice gravel,and dried up river creeks. Constantly changing surface. We could only snatch a glance at the countryside because eyes were glued to the road. It was a depressing sight of burn and slash, mile after mile were smouldering trees and smoking land. Villages very very basic but people waving and smiling. We really felt far away from anywhere..really really countryside. Very remote.
The track was exhausting. Concentrating hard and having to push along though we were in time ie enough daylight. The sandy parts were a little fraught but these little bikes far easier than our own. My wrists got tired. Peter got tired all over but Clive was okay. Ori and John went much faster and were far more skillful. We three felt pleased that we had not fallen.
Sun 24th feb
Barking dogs, snores, and of course the roosters woke us in the morning. Luckily dawn did not come too early and we did manage to sleep a bit.
Breakfast consisted of omelette or chicken noodle soup. In the soup were unlaid chicken eggs ie they look like a string of yolks getting smaller in size. It was good.!Various amounts of sleep had been had by our group !
Off we went. 65 kms to do through the forest. Started sandy...not good. I am not good in sand but at least no panic and mostly relaxed. Peter must have been tense. He sweated buckets and got quite exhausted so after lunch he continued the journey in the van.. The trail was quite fun but constant pressure to keep going. I enjoyed it but it was very challenging, constantly changing from sand to rocks tree roots and sometimes even up to a wall in the track maybe a foot high. We then met a river crossing where I chickened out and got Peng the lead rider to take my bike across, my argument being that I did have all our cameras and the ipaq and my mobile in my rucksack...not worth a dip. Clive did not carry a rucksack but depended on my dependability!
Eyes were 99.9% on the track but if you got a snatch it was always burning forest. Slash and burn. Shocking. Villages friendly.children waving .
Got to Tbaeng Meanchey .Peter knackered. So he rode another 30kms to meet pick up and took a ride.on the pick up for the remaining 120 KMs to Prasat Preah Vihaear,. Ori and John went to the Prasat Kaoh Ker Temple whilst Clive and I opted for the straight route direct to Prasat Preah Vihear. Despite our `short cut` we arrived about 5pm worn out and ready for a shower, this consisted of a large drum of water and a small bucket.!! Still it was very welcome. The evening was spent recovering and to bed by 9pm as lights out at 10pm .... when the generator is switched off.!
Mon 25th feb
Up early 6.30am and off to temple. `its a steep concrete road` says Sonia. Got to the concrete and then broken road with rocks as we climb up a very steep road to the summit. This is described thus in Lonely Planet, quote" Once at the summit of the mountain, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have undertaken a modern-day pilgrimage that is almost the equal of any undertaken at the height of the Angkorian empire"" so we felt suitably satisfied. We made it and the temple was a complex of 4 buildings right on the Thai border.
Back down safely and then off to Siem Reap, or Angkhor Wat the main destination of our trip..
Road is dirt but very good to the lunch stop at Anlong Veaeng. We don`t like going faster than 70kms on the loose gravel, but John and Ori do. We can look a little at the country at our speed, the houses, the trees etc. So many fallen trees. Mostly set fire to till they fall. Seemingly unused. We have sat and eaten at magnificent table tops. Incredible bits of solid wood. Hardwood is used extensively for floorboards, steps and their wooden houses. No pine here!.
There are houses scatted everywhere but the verge is not busy as in Africa; this must be because of the dust from traffic. Animals do not want the dust...apart from dogs. They seem quite street wise but you never know. As we head south we see more cars. For the last 2 days we have hardly seen a car. Very few lorries too; just loads of mopeds ;some laden heavily, wobbling along. Most are in good order whereas some of the trucks are not.
Its a long day..we do 260kms. Much of the road this afternoon was under constuction which made the riding unpleasant and dangerous as each time a truck or 4 X 4 went past us it left a huge cloud of dust through which we couldn`t see for almost 5 seconds, during which time of course the surface may have changed or hidden another vehicle which was trying to overtake.!. ...
Anyway we did stop occasionally ...a filthy dusty bunch of riders, to wash down the sand and re-hydrate. We had a selection off roadside specialities such as pineapple shake, soybean juice, fresh sugar cane juice (squeezed as we wait) lychee juice and a general fresh fruit smoothie . We saw ice put through some ancient grinder to make the ice for a shake.
Mopeds can be ridden by anyone of any age. We watched various small children riding around. You do not need a license and often the moped has no number plate. Every household has one (at least one). Very few households have a car. There is a limited public transport system and we haven`t seen a car taxi ( just tuk tuks ). Cars also are driven around without number plates! There is no insurance.
We eventually reach Siem Reap, the place Clive and I tried to reach in 2002 on our RTW trip. It is a big place, much busier than we had expected catering for all the tourists who come to see Angkor Wat. ( 2 million in 2007 )..
Tues 26th feb
We have a vehicle, driver and guide to take us round the temples. Its cloudy and soon rains. This is the very beginning of the rainy season. We begin with Angkor Tom which means big city. Within that moated 9 sq kms lies several temples. We saw the Bayon temple and various other bits including pools to clean yourself in. Then off to the `tomb raiders` temple, Ta Prohm. This was where they filmed the film. The Spung tree has fantastic roots which has wreaked much damage to this temple. The tourists like photographing the roots so this particular temple will never be restored perhaps.
Lunch in a roadside cafe and then Angkor Wat. Wat is pergoda. However it seems that both pergoda and temple can act as mausoleum. AW is enormous and in good shape. Restoration is on going. It was well worth seeing, very impressive, the largest religious structure in the world.
This was followed by a night on the town, in an excellent Mexican restaurant serving great Tocas and Margueritas.!
Wed 27th feb
Up at 5.30am to catch ferry on the Lake Tonle Sap to take us to Phnom Penh. We have not ridden the bikes because it is all tarmac, which would mean thrashing the 250cc engines and it would also wear out their knobbly tyres very fast. It would also be tedious as 50mph is about the speed you would have to travel at.
Ferry bus arrives late and then does magical mystery tour around town getting more and more full of us tourists. Clive getting impatient after 45 minutes collecting odd bods, until eventually we belt along to the port beside a filthy creek along which people are living. Some of the filthiest houses and living condiitions we have seen. Boat is waiting for us. Passengers are perched on the roof which is where we late ones scramble to. We are slightly aghast as this fast boat seems in danger of capsize with its top heavy cargo. It is like an Amsterdam canal boat though even longer and narrower. The roof is barely 6ft across and the whole boat including deck about 12ft. It must have been between 80 to 90 ft long, but the engine perhaps came out of an MTB! (motor torpedo boat ).
Off down a muddy channel to the lake. End of dry season, the water is shallow. We lurch round the bends, grounding briefly on a couple of occasions. Seems pleasant on deck though bum sitting on painted metal! Once into the lake the throttles were opened and it was all change as we got lightly sprayed and gradually got wetter and wetter. To get off the roof at this high speed you slid down to the decking hanging on to a roof rail and gingerly proceeded along the deck hand over hand. There was no guard rail between you and the lake. If you dropped something it was lost! Fortunately the water was calm so on the whole the boat just skimmed along, making a noise like an F16. However there was a below decks and there I found a seat. I suppose the boat was much the same shape as an aeroplane with 4 seats across. It was rather like being on a canal boat but going at waterskiing speed. We reached the end of the lake after about 3 hours and slowed slightly so the spray was less. I went outside again and joined Clive at the back, he had found a small plastic seat and was thus sitting in regal splendour with his feet on a suitcase and his motorcycle earplugs moderating the noise. We now had more to look at as we headed down river. All sorts happening but all based on river life and fishing.
The boat ride took 6.5 hours and took us right to the centre of Phnom Penh.The journey by road would have been 320 KMs and been a hard days ride, so we agreed this had been the best way to travel back. Sonia met us and it was time to relax have lunch and shop..
Thurs 28th feb
We leave Phnom Penh and head south for the coast. Peng asks if we would like to do a shortcut with sand. `Sand but no trees` he says! Peter opts out but we opt in. So glad I did. Must have been in a positive mood! Anyway, approached first bit of sand and decided to stand on the pegs (stand up) and go for it. I made a break through ! I did so much better. It is all in the head of course...just need confidence to accelerate in sand! And confidence to stand which means its further to fall....
We then joined the others on the normal dirt road and we all made our way to Kampong.
This area, Kampot, is famous for pepper vines. Haven`t seen any yet but hope to in the next couple of days. Black pepper is pepper grown just to maturity and then dried in the sun. Pepper grows on vines and the vines can grow for 30 years.
We are out of wooded countryside now so we saw plenty of oxen pulling carts; and out in the fields. Plenty of wandering cows too....and a pig chasing a dog.! It is the end of the dry season so I think the farmers are getting ready to sow their rice when the rains come. We have seen rice growing elsewhere where it seemed they had more water. Today we sampled palm juice (pleasant), sugarcane juice (Clive loves it and I find it a bit sickly...too sweet), dragon fruit and looked at Durian fruit (very smelly says Clive).
We were meant to go to Bokor where some rich french built some beautiful buildings back in the 1920`s up on a hilltop with lovely views but the road was undergoing extensive repairs and was shut.
We are spending the night in Kep on the coast. The hotel is owned by a Cambodian who used to live in Canada. Seems he knows how to make money! We ate in a restaurant built on stilts hanging over the seawater. This place is renowned for its crabs , so Sonia ordered 3 kilos of Crabs for 9 of us. To our amazement a girl waded into the water in her clothes and with a torch(it was dark) to fetch the crabpot which held the live crabs. She waded in to chest height! The crabs looked small..they were rock crabs, but they were excellent. The whole meal ,which also included prawns and fish and beer, cost $9 each.
Fri 29th feb
Leap year day!
Some hanging around before we get aboard the pick up and head off to the ferry to go over to Tonsay (rabbit) island. The `ferry` is a wooden boat.There seem to be a number of `ferry` boats owned by different families.
Tonsay is an undeveloped tropical island. About five families live here along this beach we`ve landed on. Few more on the other side`s beaches. Coconuts, wandering cows, dogs,goats chickens etc. Watch small man climb up and get coconuts down from the tree top. Water comes from a spring. The centre of the island is a jungle clad hill/mountain. Electric from a generator. No sink in the kitchen, no fridge but a delicious seafood lunch is prepared.
Fridges are a commodity unknown to many Cambodians. Instead, someone in the village will be able..(has electricity)..to make ice in blocks. These are then delivered by moped to customers with cool boxes. Huge square blocks of ice are put in the large cool boxes and then cans of drink or bottles of water put around. That hopefully will last the day. Our pick up truck/back up vehicle has been carrying such a box around for our drinks.
Talking about mopeds...the loads they carry defies the imagination. We have seen every conceivable load. Building materials...long steel bits, masses of veg bags , chickens, 4 to a bike, ice squares, water barrels, trailers with long bits loaded, pigs (at last 2), wood for the fire, large water jars. The list goes on. If its something moving down the road its probably powered by a moped even if you can only see the load. In the district before Kamplong we saw taxi mopeds with special trailers that took at least 20 people! Some load.
In the late afternoon I set off to walk round the island. I had an hour and a bit before sunset. Sonia said it would be 3 hours walk. As I headed off the end of the beach a dog rushed up, wagging his tail , eager to be with me , apparently . He was great. Each house we came to he had to run the gauntlet of their dogs. He stuck with me even though I could not help him. I saw two brilliant turquoise coloured birds and thought they might be kingfishers. Half time I reckoned I was more than half way round. Got a bit adrift from the main path every now and then but made it before dark....with my friend the dog.
After a lovely swim have another seafood meal. Now had enough crabs to eat for a while.
Sat 1st Mar
Up with cockcrow as you usual! And gecko `crow` and whopping gibbons. The locals are tidying the beach whilst we hang around for a boat and settle what we owe.( $20 for board and food for 2). Off we go back to the mainland and Kep. This is the end of the tour and we say our goodbyes. Dancing Roads has given us a great tour around Cambodia. I really feel I have seen the country. I have enjoyed the biking very much and also the several boat journeys in between. Boats, water and dusty red roads…these are all part of Cambodia. I understand that I am the oldest lady to date to do the ‘jungle trail bit’ to Chebb.
John and Clive and I are staying together and hiring mopeds today in order to ride to Sihanoukville for the night.
Mopeds arrive and Clive gets the one new one whilst John and I get the older ones. Off we go..a few stops and starts because they had no petrol in them. We have to buy a litre from a roadside stall. Dodgy petrol! 0n we go . We enjoy stopping and taking photos and riding on these mopeds. We finally reached Sihanoukville and found our hotel. John didn`t like it so a swap was made to one by the beach.
We three then lay on the beach (nice long sandy beach) being plagued by endless child salespersons selling fruit, macrame stuff, manicures,massages, haircuts, prawns ,scarves etc. Enough to drive you mad. Plenty of bars and restaurants for the evening though.
Sun 2nd march
Easy start to day, breakfast ,internet etc. Did not fancy being pursued on the beach so did not swim. Gather ourselves to set off back to Kep. Its about 140 kms. My wonderful moped does not have a working speedo. Its top speed seems a bit limited today too. John`s expires on a hill in full sunshine; Clive out in front not yet aware. No tools! John fiddles with plug lead and finally seems able to turn carbureter jet with his fingers. Rather too loose perhaps? Bike starts, off he goes with me behind. Clive comes back and gets in the lead again. On we go. Before reaching Kep John runs out of petrol with about 1 mile to go. We find plastic container and take petrol from my bike! I have used less than the heavy men.
Reach hotel who has been looking after our bags. Hand over the mopeds...$14 for 18 hours and 280kms. I am beginning to feel a little `precious` but go out with Clive and John. Then feel very faint at the meal and go home in the tuk tuk. Feel better in the fresh air. Stomach a bit disturbed...probably Sihanoukville..we knew we didn`t like it! During the night it rained...properly! The end of the dry season.
Mon 3rd Mar
I feel better after very strange dreams. Another night on a very hard bed. Cambodians do not go in for bottom comfort. Our bikes had hard seats, all chairs are hardwood with no cushions, and the beds have very hard ,very shallow mattresses on a wooden base. Cambodians are mostly slim with small hips...does that make sleeping on hard beds easier? The only soft place is a hammock which are hanging up everywhere.
John had made an arrangement with Ra (one of the tour team) to pick him up in a car and take him to Phnom Penh. We had thought to take a bus but John said it was okay to go with him and Ra.
Ra drove us at an unhealthy speed. We survived to see a temple (Ta Prohm) and `the killing field` site on our way to P P. We had lunch near a river and one of the dishes Ra ordered was partridge. It turned up as 2 roast small birds complete with legs, claws, and head on. All they had done prior to cooking was to remove the feathers. He also kindly found a shopping place to buy some gifts.
Peter is still in town and we met up with Sonia too, We all went to two `expat` type places..FCC and Everyones to drink followed by a meal at `Friends`.
It is very easy to get around the city by tuk tuk. I liked Phnom Penh. It had filthy market places and the very poor working on the pavements (barber stalls, shoe cleaning etc), but it also seems to be attracting investment (from Korea esp) thus giving it a bit of a hum. The river front is good too. Down sides are corrupt police and thieving.
Tues 4th mar
We fly to Kuala Lumpar and leave Cambodia. Friendly people, lovely fresh fruit. Interesting roads and temples. Houses with no running water, no fridges. Mopeds, bicycles and carts for the masses. Very well behaved children living by the roads, intelligent survivor dogs. Poor pigs, long legged chickens.
We are having 24 hours in Malaysia on the way home, in Kuantan.
Wed 5th Mar
Weather is not great ...rain and cloud. I wake up with an eye infection but luckily some eye drops bought in a pharmacy begin to clear it up. Clive has been here several times before and shows me around.
After lunch we head back to the airport and wave goodbye to this visit to Asia. Back in London our own bikes start and tyres are not flat!! We have a good ride home in good weather
30th Sepember 2008
Our journey to South America begins. This time the bikes leave first . On 30th September 2008 we loaded them aboard a borrowed truck in drizzling rain and delivered them to Seafast Warehousing in Tilbury from whence they will end up in a container on a vessel called MV Monte Pascoal. The sea voyage will take 21 days to Buenos Aires. Will I see my packed panniers again?We had to have them in metal crates. This has given us a fair amount of bother. First we got hold of some Yamaha crates from Tinklers of Norwich , and then had to have them altered. This was not particularly easy but RBS of Fakenham did the job. All quite different to when they were last freighted out of Cape Town. There they were on a wooden base and then sort of packaged with plastic. This time the crate was very open so that all can be seen, including our panniers.We set off on 31st October by plane.
6th Oct 2008
Found a website that tracks ships. Have uploaded a photo of the container ship that the bikes are supposedly on...the Monte Pascoal. Hope our container is not sitting on the top!!
7th Oct 2008
Not great news...bikes still sitting in warehouse in Tilbury!! Some technical reason as to why they did not make the ship but now earmarked for next ship. This should go this next Saturday,;so it is NOT called the Monte Pascoal but the Alianca Maua, which for you shipping buffs has the call sign DCPC2, so we can now follow the bikes as they hopefully cross the Atlantic. This means that the bikes will arrive after us and we will have an initial delay. We have also been given a list of interesting documents that we need to bring, including the packing list in Spanish!
19th Oct 2008
We heard a few days ago that the bikes definately got on their ship. That was good news! We are tracking the ship on a website called www.sailwx.info. This morning it`s opposite Lisbon which is quite amusing as Clive is not far away in Penela, Portugal. Whilst I try and tie up a hundred and one loose ends here, Clive is seeing to his interests there.One of the documents that we have to provide is a certificate,in Spanish,showing our address to prove we really do live here in Uk. This entailed going to the Argentinian consulate in London with a certified copy of Clive`s passport ( because he is in Portugal with it) , utility bills in each of our names and money ( £22 each!). Another difficulty as utility bills in my name ( or farm`s) . The utility bill I brought was too old( April 2008) and the bank statements I brought for Clive were deemed no good. However nice girl said I could try emailing other things when I got home to Norfolk. What a hassle! Found a more up to date bill for me and something better ( mobile bill) for Clive which appears to have done the job. We probably will never have to produce these bits of paper!
30th October.
All set, ready for LHR, panic today dog badly cut her foot so Vet visit required...!!! We have condensed the old Africa trip diaries into three so if you have received warnings of up-dates etc it is only that. Hopefully we now have enough room for South America and also the Africa diary will be more readable.Must start packing...!!!
Oct 31st friday .
Final jobs get done including taking Millie the dog to Clff and Caire who have kindly offered to look after her. Millie unfortunately had to have a day at the vet yesterday because she cut her ankle and it needed stitching. So we have left her sporting a pink bandage on her front leg.My parents arrive and we drive to Stansted to catch a coach to Heathrow. All goes well and we catch our flight to Paris and then the connection to Buenos Aires. Horrible long night as we gain 3 hours sleep going westwards. Plane was late on take off by one hour so it will be 14.5 hrs on board. We finally had our `supper` on the plane at 1.30am.
Nov 1st Saturday
Have got quite lost with time. Thought we were 3 hours different from home but it seems to have ended up 4 hrs behind. Flight was bumpy, slept little as was cold, but we landed and gradually made our way to our hostel.We caught a bus as recommended by our hostel which took us to some terminal not particularly near the hostel. Now what? Then a van arrives and we are told to get in and we are finally delivered to the door, no extra price/money. Really quite impressed. Hostel booked on recommendation is fine. Very friendly, 3 internet computers at our disposal and our room is a welcome place to sleep after those horrible seats on the plane.Rested, we go off with guide book in hand to the Cafe Tortini. It is the oldest café in Argentina . Seemed to have the highest prices too, so we went in and we went out. Took up position on a pavement across the road with our drinks at a reasonable price and watched life from there instead. Seemed very casual indeed and Clive started muttering about transsexuals. Definitely some very strangely dressed people passed by. Then we realised that a demo was coming up the road. We now know that the first Saturday in Nov. is homosexual etc demo day. It was a good display...several women with ? boobs hanging out, bare bottoms, lots of music etc. We enjoyed it. Tired, jet lagged etc but here we are in the heart of it.Only problem was we left all our cameras in the hostel as we were worried about thieves.
Nov 2nd Sunday.
Because our bikes failed to go on the intended ship to here we now have to wait a few days for them. The ship they are on should have arrived yesterday and then it will take some days to decontainerise and reach a warehouse. We will know more when we ring the shipping agent tomorrow. In the meantime we are frustrated bikers. However the weather is a very pleasant 20 something and it is Sunday in Buenos Aires. Reading our Lonely planet guide we find the waterfront area ( done up from 1989) and also SanTelmo where we hoped to see Tango dancing and a street mkt which is only on a sunday. City is very empty. Huge wide roads to cross and very little traffic. We guess weekdays will be different. What people are around are in San Telmo. We watch life go by in a café,see some Tango dancing and wander the market. All we tourists are gripping our bags tight in case of thieves. It all appears fine but Clive and I are being careful!Our hostel is fairly noisy, full of younger travellers who are all very friendly. They were up late last night..infact very late.
Nov 3rd Monday
Buenos Aires has burst to life with the start of the working week. Traffic and people everywhere. Our goal this morning is to contact the shipping agent and get motor insurance for the bikes. We tramp the pavements in quite hot sun getting hot and tired.We are sent from pillar to post but in the end very nice girl knows what to do. One months road insurance costs £7 each. Lunch was a snack under a huge avocado tree with some sweet little bird singing beautifully. We met Marcela, the nice contact who suggested we stayed in Che Lagata hostel. In the afternoon we meet our shipping agents and agree to meet again tomorrow to begin the process with customs. Clive samples large icecream and looks for a bag to hide his camera in.
Nov 4th Tuesday
We meet agent as agreed and go along to customs . We fall at the first hurdle. The bill of lading is in my name only. The customs man does not like it. We are dismissed! Shipping agent issued the bill of lading so it can be changed. However we now have to wait till bikes are out of their container. We had all hoped we could do paper work whilst waiting. Nothing more happens today so on till tomorrow. It is very frustrating and we have to remain tourists in Buenos Aires. We mooch around and shop...well Clive does! He buys a bag to disguise his camera in AND some new shoes. (see photo). Of the top 5 things to do ,as listed in our guide, we had done 4. The last was Recoleta catholic cemetry. It was not far from where we were . We are glad we did. Solid `streets` of tombs with coffins stacked inside. City of dead for sure. We found Eva Peron`s mausileum. Many other famous argentine generals,politicians etc are there too. Clive thought it was spooky and could not wait to go to` Freddo` across the road and have today`s icecream!
Nov 5th Wed
Here we are sitting on a bench, wooden, slatted, in a gaunt industrial building. Workmen are working up one end, welding and trying to put up 3 ply boarding which keeps falling down. We are with Eduardo who is the shipping man. He knows the system and speaks the language. We know the bikes are out of the container. We are now number one in the queue which consists mainly of other foreign bikers. We have exchanged stories. One is a japanese man who has ridden for a year and a half across Russia and Europe on a 250 Honda. He speaks little english and no spanish and has no helper. Possibly holding us up.... Until we hear the `system` has failed! We are continuing to sit. There is no food, no drink and it is hot. We cannot see into the all powerful office to see the all powerful official in there. Soon it will be lunch and he will close for lunch. We have been here for 1.5 hours now.And so we sit till 1am when door locked and we are told to come back at 2.30pm. We all troop ,including the customs people,to nearest café. Clive and I go back at 2pm and take up position again. Think that Japanese has been told to go to his embassy. They cannot cope with him because of language difficulties. Poor man. Hopefully we really are next.Customs man comes back at 2.30pm. We all jump up to make sure we get in the door first. There are a lot of people hanging around trying to jump the queue..... Anyway we get in. Watch our papers get slowly gathered together and then all double stamped and signed. We begin to smile, Eduardo talks about the warehouse etc.Then customs man turns to his computer to enter what he has done...system down again. Can`t do it. Puts our finished and stamped papers to one side and tells us to go and wait outside again. Now it is 3pm. Visions of getting bikes today evaporate.By 4pm the computer system has got going but another hurdle is put in place. All papers now need big boss signature. Big boss has disappeared, surprise surprise. His office is now chaos, with everyone desperately trying their level best to get their papers done/on his desk. The warehouse shuts at 5.30pm.We are told to wait. Papers go off to the big boss by car. It seems he is perhaps playing golf!? They arrive back at 5.40pm, signed. We arrange to meet warehouse helper at 8.30am tomorrow.These vital papers that were required today were a photocopy of our passport, reg document, and bill of lading. For that we waited all day.Tomorrow we may ,may get there and actually see our bikes. Cross your fingers. We now need a drink. ( or 2!! C )
Nov 6th thurs
We have our bikes and we have ridden 200 miles to Azul, south of Buenos Aires . We are both adjusting to the new situation.! We have not ridden our bikes for 6 weeks and now here we are in a strange country with different trucks and cars and roads. However.....8.30am we were at the warehouse with Daniel. Within half an hour we saw our bikes. All was well with the crates and we set to, to put on screen, connect battery,wing mirrors, handle bar and in my case put the front wheel on. Whilst we did this Daniel did his bit with those seemingly same bits of paper. More stamps, more signatures etc. Smiles, handshakes and we had done it in 3 hours. What a pallaver to get through a border!Off to hostel, got the rest of our stuff ,changed, repacked and off. Buenos Aires was a modern good city but we are really happy to be on the move again. Off through the northern pampas. Birds of prey, vultures, reas, horses and of course cattle to feast our eyes on. Endless fields of grass but to my surprise lots of big trees. Some crops and flat as a pancake. Road is good. Traffic lessened quite quickly and after 30 miles it was mainly trucks and a few fast cars. Free at last to think my thoughts and devour the landscape. We are spending the night in a `bike` place, as recommended on a diary website. Its interesting! As Clive said `its better than camping`. Just! Had a pizza in the town in a very gaunt place. But very friendly. All towns so far laid out on a grid system so easy to know where you are. Dogs were barking as we walked back in the dark. Felt safe....
Nov 7th friday
Having thought my ipac`s battery had been destroyed by charging it on the bike (got very hot!) it has miraculously come back to life. We can write this on our phones too but easier on this gadget.This morning the temperature was 14c as we packed ourselves up from our rather strange stopover at La Posta....rather different from yesterday at 30c. As we rode off rain threatened and an hour or so later we were cold and putting on raingear. You really do not need to feel jealous any longer! Most of today has been like riding across the fens in England. More grass, more cattle but plenty of crops. Vast flat expanse. Not a weed, thistle, wildflowers or nettle in sight. Barley crops being grown for seed and prob so is the wheat and maize. The birds are not like England. In some water I saw a pink large bird like a pelican in size...ibis? Several kinds of birds of prey too.The road is straight but fairly empty and progress is good in between our stops! Clive is enjoying tasting different delicacies. Empanadas especially.As we neared Bahia Blanca , which is on the coast, the weather got warmer and warmer inspite of rain clouds. By the time we were searching for an hotel it was 27c and we were peeling off our layers of clothing . The hotel we were looking for had been entered incorrectly in the lonely planet guide and was marked as being on the other side of the street. Round and round the block we went. I was being blamed as I had the guide. Eventually found it....it was a building site! We have had to get used to eating later. The restaurant we went to did not open its doors till 8.30pm! It was only really filling up at 9.30pm. Had plenty to eat including a dessert of Dolche. Dolche is an argentine speciality. Its like thick brown condensed cream. Very sweet and eaten on bread as a spread,as a flavour of icecream, or as a sweet with caramel. Does one no good at all! ( blah blah blah,,,! )
Nov 8th Sat
I am riding along with my bike leaning in to the wind. We are crossing an area with very light soil which is blowing in this strong westerly wind. Every now and then we go into a dust storm and find it difficult to see.We made a mess of getting the right road out of town after breakfast at the hotel. About half an hour was lost asking for the way and wandering around Bahia Blanca. But once out, the road was straight as it headed across this rather lunar landscape. Grassy , flat , sometimes grassy hills, and large fields with crops. Single storey houses surrounded by trees. We had very little traffic but had to concentrate hard on the wind which was blowing us across the road. It was like this for nearly 170 miles. At one point one of the dust storms was so bad that you could barely see the white line on the side of the road and had to slow to a dangerously slow speed...dangerous because traffic behind might come into you!. Trying to wipe the visor and keep the bike leaning against the wind was tricky!. The dust came in everywhere, inside and outside the visor, on my contact lenses and Clive`s glasses etc.We reached Viedma had a stop and continued on. This time the road was headed mainly into the wind and it was easier. Petrol consumption on both bikes is high as they are pushing into the wind fully laden. My computer read out says it has gone down from an average of 60 miles per gallon to 54 mpg. Clive`s is even worse ( bigger engine, heavier load!).The very straight road reminds us of both Australian outback and Canadian praire. The countryside has changed to scrub and is virtual desert. If it had red soil it would be very like Australian outback . Not much out here. A few birds and a few cattle is all we see for 120 miles. Dust storms rage as we head into San Antonio Oeste. The hotel has a bath! Heaven!
Nov 9th sunday
Had anxious moments with my camera last night. It had got dust in it from the duststorm and the lens would not open ie would not work. With repeated goes..on ,off,on,off....poor battery...it eventually got going again. Thank goodness! Had another problem last night too. Checked my bike for oil and nothing was registering on the dip stick. Bit odd as it was serviced just before we left and cannot have done more than 800 miles since. Anyway put oil in and must check again soon.We head off down more very straight road through this scrubby dry land. Nothing but scrub. Hardly anything moving; a few cattle , one or two sheep and the odd bird of prey. Far less wind today and we get along very well. Clive and I can talk bike to bike as we go along with our Scala wireless communication. It works on bluetooth and seems to be working fine. We had always had trouble with Autocom which is a wired system. It always failed us. Scala allows you to listen wirelessly to music too through another gadget that we both have, the Zumo gps unit. Though it does not have a south american map it can tell you the direction of travel, the elevation, and numerous readouts of speed, average since start etc.One more thing to keep you busy on boring scrubby straight roads is the bike`s own little readout of time, speed, petol consumption, outside temperature (24c), mileage etc. Quite enough to look at and I was so busy playing gadgets that I nearly missed seeing my first wild llamas near the road. Into Sierra Grande to fill up with subsidized Patagonian petrol and empanadas and on towards Puerto Madryn. We deviated to Puerto Piramides which is in the Peninsula Valdes national park. Apparently excellent place to see lots of sealife. Most wildlife seemed to be down endless gravel roads so we lost enthusiasm and instead enjoyed Piramides ,which was picturesque in a little cove with big beach and whale watching tourists, and searched the sea with binoculars for the Southern Right Whale. This is where they breed. We could have gone on a boat trip at some cost but instead stood on a cliff top and indeed did spot the odd back of a whale. They are huge and slow. They reach 12 metres and can weigh over 30 tons. Hardly likely to be doing back flips! Pulled out of there and headed back to Ruta 3 and Puerta Madryn, a cool 93 kms.
Nov 10th Mon
We found an hotel after several tries. 155 pesos, a bit on the high side for us. This morning on check out he claimed it was 155 dollars! Horror! The room was not that great and we cannot afford it. He was very nice, spoke good english, and we paid our 155 pesos. The difference was about £70 or more!Puerto Madryn is about 44° south but its minimum winter average temp is 14c. Much warmer than I would have imagined.We head south to Trelew and a couple of `welsh` places, Dolovan and Gaiman slightly off our road. Welsh nationalists were allowed to settle here at the end of the 1800`s. Trying to equate a grid style cowboy style town with a welsh village was difficult. I think we were disappointed!. Before leaving a tea shop Clive managed to bash his head on a very low sign outside. Now sporting plaster over loo paper padding. He says he was very brave!We then head on south through the endless scrubby desert which has now gone on for about 500 miles.(it is a big country) It is not how I had perceived Patagonia. I thought it would be wetter, greener and not so flat and dry.. My contact lenses get very dry in the dry air. It is pleasantly hot. Very little traffic..a few trucks and cars and us. We gradually gain height and end up on a plateau of greener scrub at about 500-600 metres. The prettiest scenery of the last 2 days comes as we drop off the plateau through a valley and down to the coast at Comodora Rivadavia. Its a dump and we cannot find a suitable hotel. I am happy to camp but Clive is not. It transpires that he has not brought his airmat for sleeping on! In the end we find a motel in fairly industrial surroundings. I believe we are going to eat at the petrol station café....Wifi has been in every spot we have stopped in. It means we can download emails but not send ( our phones have a microsoft bug apparently). There is even Wifi at the petrol station. But it didn`t work!
Nov 11th Tues
Commodora and Trelew are the only 2 towns we have seen that had rubbish problems. On the outskirts it was bad especially near cheap (``breeding boxes` says Clive``) little new homes . Otherwise Argentina has been pretty clean.15c and cloudy. We have a longish day reaching Puerto San Julien. As we leave Commodoro we go past lots of `nodding donkeys`. Oil was discovered here in the 40`s.Nowhere in between to stop! Today the road has a few bends and ups and down but we still do a fair number of miles on a straight road across bleak countryside. Scrub gives way to tussocky grass. The wind is strong on our right side and at times we have to really fight it, leaning the bikes over. We stop at roadside petrol stations when they appear...they are few. This morning I noticed that my bike was leaking coolant. A hose was coming off. We managed to get it back on and hope it will not do it again. Its possible that it got dislodged by the front wheel whilst it was in its crate. The front wheel (which was off) was leaning against that area.In San Julien there is a fighter plane, on the sea front, that was involved in the Falklands war. Just to remind us! It has 3 trophy ships on its side....that it sunk?
Nov 12th Wed
As we arrived in town yesterday we bumped into another biker...Tony from Melbourne, Australia. He has been `on the road` for 8 months. We stay in the same hotel and eat and chat together. He tell us a bit about what we can expect as he has travelled down South America. Tony is taking the same road as us today so off we go together. He likes to travel at a slightly slower speed so we leave him behind to catch up at the petrol/tea stops. This works fine. He has a smaller bike, a Yamaha 650 single, and it is working hard. Same type of scenery but more wildlife. Llamas/vicunas, sheep,rheas, geese, ducks and believe it or not, 2 flamingos head down in a pond. We have noticed the white salt around these shallow bits of water but I can`t work out why they are salty . Suits the flamingoes!Weather has got colder, now 15-21c. Lucky with the wind today..its veered into the north a bit which means it is slightly more behind us. Also it was not so strong. Arrive early in Rio Gallegos, 52° south. Many hotels full but we find a spot.Managed to ring home on Skype to find that my mother is already back home after having an operation to renew her knees. All has gone well we think.Just looked up the weather in Ushuaia and its about 4c and showery! We must be mad. We have also learnt that we had motorbiked yesterday in a wind gusting to 75mph! Tonight the wind has got up again and is apparently gusting the same. Certainly sounds like it . Glad not on the road now.!
Nov 13th Thurs
Today we have to cross from Argentina into Chile over the Magellan Strait and then back into Argentina before travelling 80 miles to our next stop in Rio Grande. Well here I am writing this sitting in a howling wind literally in no mans land between Chile and Argentina. My motorcycle has a back wheel puncture! We have been on gravel road for 70 miles, it had nearly ended but I got the puncture just 600 metres inside Chile before the customs post. We managed to get some air in and get across the border amd thus into the 10 mile gap between Chile and Argentina ( ie no mans land ) when the tyre went down again. Clive has now gone off with the wheel on his bike to the border where we hope it can be fixed. He may have to go through and then back through again! Plus points are that it is sunny and dry. 10c.We said goodbye to Tony this morning. He has gone a different way.We had 222 miles to do today plus 2 border crossings and a ferry. Ferry is behind us. The sea was wild! I am now gazing out on a flat grassy plain with grazing sheep. We have seen lots of llama/vicunas /guanaco. No one has told me the subtle difference. Also seen some pretty biggish birds with a long curved bill.Clive comes back. Its now 5.40pm. Says the tyre is not punctured ,its more serious as it is leaking round the spokes. Using 3 of our little compressed air bombs I leapfrog to the Argentine border..as the tyre deflates, reinflate with another `bomb`. Just make it. Clive meanwhile has been ridIng to and fro trying to locate the only tyre repair man he has apparenlty gone to town and we later discover will not return for 24 hours. ! Clive then negotiates the transport of my bike the 70 miles to Rio Grande with a water delivery van that is passing. This van is a box van and almost full of large empty plastic water bottles. With the help of the driver and his mate, we load the bike into the back of the van. There is nothing to tie the bike down on and we make room for the bike by piling the bottles to the front. I then have to sit inside the van in the pitch black hanging on to the bike amongst a whole lot of empty plastic containers while we drive to Rio Grande. Clive rides behind. As we drive off many bottles fall over me and I am surrounded by these lovely empties.! Off we go and after 15 minutes the van starts bouncing around, clearly we are off road. After what seems an age the van is stopped by Clive who opens the door and instructs me to quickly get out with my valuables asap... apparently we had gone behind the hills into no-where and were approaching a workers camp which he feared we could have been mugged robbed and worse... so he instructs the driver to go off and do whatever he has to do and return to collect us on his return.. meanwhile we stand by the road in the dusk and cold, the van with my bike dissapears.... fortunately it returned 20 minutes later still with my bike and I resume my postion in the dark. The journey then continues in a temperature of 2 degrees to Rio Grande where we arrive about 10¨45 pm and there we are deposited by the driver at a puncture repair place which is still open.! They are very friendly, we remove the wheel again and to our utter surprise find I have a tube in the tyre. The puncture in the tube is soon fixed and then we make our way, very late, to the only contact we have, the Hosteleria Argentino. The lady owner Graciela, is not only up but greets us warmly with a bottle of wine at 11.30pm. We end up in bunk beds entirely grateful that argentines keep such late hours.! The bike is fixed, we have learnt a lesson, and we can continue on tomorrow as planned. BMW have put tubeless tyres on their bikes for several years now. This new bike of mine, the latest model... has old style tubed tyres...why have they reverted back?
Nov 14th Fri
This day is a doddle compared with yesterday as we make our final push to Ushuaia. We have 130 miles of tarmac to do. After 20 mins of setting out we see trees! Mostly dead and mishappen but trees. We have not seen trees outside town for days. The countryside is now pretty with treeclad rolling hills. Then mountains appear with snow. As we go over a low pass (410m) to Ushuaia , it snows. Its 1c there and 5c in town. In between these snow showers its sunny. As we set off from a traffic light stop in town a wandering dog attacks Clive`s foot and tears a small hole in his thick leather boots. I was therefore prepared when it was my turn! We have prebooked a B & B which we find. We are here for 3 nights.
15th Nov Sat
It is sunny cloudy and NOT windy for a change when we set off for the final few miles to the end of Ruta 3 and the sign which will say 3079 kms from Buenos Aires and (more). It is in a National Park and we slowly wend our way in very pretty scenery on a fine dirt road for about 20 miles in all. Plenty of tourists all taking photos of each other by the sign. Just as we are getting bikes aligned by the sign, a big Fuegian Red Fox walks nonchalantly by. Clive got a photo of it!
We take a short walk along a path. See some wildlife, mostly birds. Its very pretty with sea, trees, and mountains around with snow.
That done, its all north bound. Make our way back to Ushuaia. Clive explores the airport road thinking of his daughter who came here and ran along this road.
Every Argentine town we have been to has very similar street names and Ushuaia is no different. Certain ones crop up in every town...san martin , 9 de julio, belgrano, brown,maipu, 5 mayo etc. It does make getting around easier but exits from town are without signs and difficult.
16th Nov Sun.
Points on Ushuaia . It has grown in the last 25 years from 7000 people to 70,000. The houses seem to be built and designed by the owner out of anything to hand. Crossroads continue to be a free for all. Temperature in town ranges from 0c to 10c year round and the wind blows!
We have had it good with the weather..no wind yesterday and sun/cloud today. We have done an other must do...climbed up to the Martial glacier. Motorcyclists are not renowned for fitness but we made it up! Motorcycle boots are good for trecking and our jackets make fine anoraks! My tankbag becomes a rucksack and we are ready. Fantastic view of the Beagle channel. Clive aided his climb by using a chairlift part of the way. He said it was more peaceful and gave him time to admire the view on the way down.
17th Nov Mon.
Last night Raul and his wife Christina kindly entertained us with wine and accordian playing of lovely Tango music from early times to present. Raul was `very accomplished having been interested in music since he was 5 yrs old. He was playing a 50 year old Scandalli italian accordian .Before coming back to our Tango B&B we watched an argentine submarine come in to Ushuaia; and a cruise ship dock. The submarine was a rare occurance.Now we are on the road again and for 2 days repeating our footsteps till we are back in Rio Gallegos. Back to Graziella tonight, very welcoming.We had the best meal of the trip here, tonight, at ?///
18th Nov Tues
We made it ! Back over the 2 borders and ferry..in,out,in,out. Very tedious, temporarily importing and exporting our motorbikes. The border guards in Chile were seemingly working to rule. When we first pitched up the border was shut. Then they said us and cars only. Poor coaches and lorries had to wait.No puncture over the 75 miles of gravel road and instead we enjoy looking at Vicunas jumping gracefully over the fence by the road ,flamingoes feeding in the salt pans/ponds, the lack of wind and the higher temperature. No petrol stations meant I had only 9 miles worth of petrol left by the time we reached Rio Gallegos.( Clive has bigger tank!. )
19th Nov Wed
Eat good veal last night in local restaurant with tele blaring out football. Today we set off in good weather, 12c which rises to 19c quite quickly. We are excited as we are heading off Ruta 3 and going west to cross the country and really start our journey north. The road stretches remorselessly out through flat grassy plains enclosed by gently curving hills. Now and then we change valley. Its not bleak...perhaps spacious and empty. The air is so dry it could not be bleak even with the wind blowing. Today we are lucky again with the wind which is slight. Upland geese ,in pairs, wander;as do Rheas.Suddenly on the skyline are the Andes, rocky and snowy. We are heading for El Calafate and the Moreno glacier.We are very surprised after arriving in El Calafate about lunch time ,to strike lucky on our second try at staying somewhere. We had looked on the internet before arriving and everywhere claimed they were full. So all sorted and the whole afternoon ahead of us we thought we would do the Perito Moreno glacier today, instead of tomorrow morning.Weather is good...we now understand the weather is unexpectedly good and that we are very lucky. The glacier is very worth a visit. 80 kms up the road but we are very impressed. This is not the largest glacier around apparently but perhaps has the easiest access for those on foot. From a vantage point you can hear the ice cracking, groaning grinding . As it moves at 2m (in the middle) a day ,pieces are constantly breaking off its 5km long front into the lake formed by its run off. This lake is the largest in Argentina; its milky white turquoise in colour because of all the minerals from the glacier and is 3-8c in temp. I saw flamingoes on the lake which amazes me as I thought they would need a hotter clime. I have seen other glaciers when skiing but the serrac field on this is amazing.The front of the glacier is 55m high and below the lake surface another 180 meters! It is an enormous entirely natural moving object.On the way back I see a Patagonian skunk and we help 2 stranded moped riders who have run out of petrol. Good deed done we cook our own meal in our backpacker place.
20th Nov Thurs
The "Hospedaje Familiar Las Cabanitas`" were extremely friendly and accommodating to us. A family run hostel trying their best near the main street. They let us leave our bikes with them while we went shopping/post office/internet.The houses in El Calafate were better than the norm of build it yourself and they also seemed to be doing something about roaming dogs. To our amusement 3 people with red hats and lassoos came along trying to lassoo dogs from off the pavement. They were unsuccessful this time!We set off at lunch time to cover about 100 miles to Tres Lagos. We were not sure if there would be an hotel there but were taking the chance as we are keen to be ready for the gravel between there and Bajo Caracoles, a stretch of 300 odd kilometres. It was not tarmac all the way today and we had about 20 miles of gravel. Wind had been rising all afternoon and ended up blowing strongly.Just before Tres Lagos we fill up in the last petrol station before Bajo Caracoles . I also get 2 litres more in a plastic bottle to be on the safe side. My tank range is generally 230miles or so but you never know!Tres Lagos is a 3 street town. Gravel streets. We find a Cabana/ Hospedaje . Its basic but clean. I quickly check out whether we will find food. One very basic store. I miss the" restaurant "! It looks like some ones home and is called ` Flopi`. We decide to opt for this ,instead of cooking in our one saucepan, later in the evening. We have been joined by a dutch cyclist. He came in just after us. He has been battling the wind and snow and rain from Punta Arenas for 4 weeks. He is going to take 1.5 years to get to Alaska. He likes the gravel road, camping and being alone! He is 37 yrs old.
21st Nov Fri
When we got back to the Cabana they tried to get us and the cyclist to share a room. We explained that we were not friends ( he was dutch,we were english etc). We did not understand why either. In the morning the cyclist was gone before us and we never saw him on the road. He disappeared into thin air!We got up at 6am to try and beat the wind. It was already blowing but not too bad. Off we went on the wrong road! (how did we manage that when there were only 2 different roads?!)I was a bit tense to start with and the gravel was loose. However slowly settled into my stride and settled down. The bike constantly twitching as the tyres slip on the gravel. The wind sometimes causing problems. Constant attention required to keep the tyres out of deeper gravel and in the `rut` made by cars. The road is cutting its way through this large and empty landscape shaped by past glaciers. If you want to get away from it all, this is the place. In 5 hours we saw 5 cars, a number of sheep,cattle, lovely horses, vicunas/llamas, and one house! We had covered 115 miles with only a couple of tense wobbles. We twice stopped and brewed a cup of tea, sheltering from the wind near culverts.Then to our surprise we find tarmac for 45 miles before another 40 miles on gravel takes us to Bajo Caracoles. This place marked with a good size dot on the map is a mere hamlet. It has a petrol station and a police station and a few homes of which some are little basic hostels. Our host is busy building/altering an extension himself. The building work is very `interesting` with 3 tree trunks seemingly holding the structure up and fishing net holding a thin layer of insulation in place against the tin roof. We have done well. Clouds now loom ominously. Tomorrow we are heading towards Chile.(Clive here. Did she forget to mention a slight wobble that resulted in her dropping the bike.. But no damage and I was on hand to pick it up! A really bleak ride today, hours without seeing a thing just an occasional animal. Thank goodness no punctures. Bikes are going well but we are taking it easy, best way on these roads. Another 80 miles of gravel tomorrow, hey ho keep on wobbling...)
22nd Nov Sat
Our room had no window. The electricity power went up and down and some water pipe somewhere trickled all night. Amateur builder! But it had a heater and was warm as we listened to rain and wind.At breakfast Clive and the owner chatted away about his building works. Clive converses mostly in english with the odd spanish,portugese,french or italian word thrown in for good measure. The owner speaks fast spanish. Interestingly we get the drift, especially when thin walls and noise coming through from next bedroom is mentioned. `Ah` he says, `I am going to solve that with this` and he goes off and gets an eggtray and holds it against the wall demonstrating how a whole lot of egg trays plastered to the wall will do the trick.! Amazing, do it your self at its best!Ruta 40 here we go again..the rain has gone but the wind is there. Sunny and cold, 8c. Gravel road for 46 miles and tarmac for 40m. The gravel road is quite tough in places and the wind grips us now and then. The snowcapped Andes can be seen on the horizon as we travel up and down across this rather lunar landscape. We are about 600-700m up. When we hit the tarmac things are not hugely better as the wind is a really fearsome crosswind and we struggle to cling to the centre line of the deserted road. We go along at 45-50mph leaning heavily into the wind. Reach Perito Moreno...not much to say for itself and end up in the petrol station café as usual. A delicious pie thing makes us happy but non existant cup of tea and bad coffee. Leaving ruta 40 we head west for Chile. Los Antiguos is small and fairly dull so we head on and cross the border to Chile Chico. The idea is to catch a ferry here across the lake. Meet some young australians on a 6 month trip. 2 guys and one girl pillion from Perth. Not yet met another female riding her own bike. We have met/ seen more bikers than in Africa. Quite a few pairs and one lot of Finnish bikers who were not very friendly.
23rd Nov Sun
We are catching a ferry today across Lago Buenos Aires(lago General Carrera). The good ship Pilchera is there when we arrive at the dock. Captain says he has room, no need for ticket and pay on the boat. Clive is a bit anxious about this..also we do not know how much it will cost. The trip is 2.5 hours. The wind is blowing!In the event all is well and we get on with the bikes. Tiny ferry,maybe 10/15 cars on the open deck. Its been built in Norway in 1970. How did it get to this inland lake on the Chile/Argentina border?.We sit out side at the back in the sun and some of the wind in all our 5 layers of motorbike clothing! Inside there are rows of old seats in a stuffy room. No food or drink. Its 8c. The waves get bigger;spray gets all the way back to us. Only the hardy sit it out in the middle of the back!They unloaded very quickly, including the 5 horses that had stood ,penned, amongst the vehicles in the spray. After a food stop we got on our way. Real Chile! We have crossed the Andes and now have the snow capped mts to our right. The pass was low at 1120 metres but it was cold, 6c. The first thing that strikes me are the trees. They are not fir trees..they are hardwoods or lenga. The green grass is not that green but the wild lupins by the roadside are very colourful. It is not alpen, its andean. Unfortuately 1 hour later I see plantations of northern pine trees...things will change and so will the andean feel.We reach Coyhouake. Its individual wooden houses with their tin roofs, remind me a bit of Lithuania. Many are fairly run down ( need a torch to them, says Clive) . Searching for a B and B, we get put off by the shabbiness of many. Quite a few are full but we find a good Cabenas and are happy.
24th Nov Mon
Quite a day, all I all. It pours with rain in the night but by morning it is seemingly clearing up. We mess around finding closed internets and exchange places. Finally leave on tarmac road which after a while becomes gravel/dirt road. This is the Carratera Austral, the main Chilean highway. On the map looks significant but in reality looked much like a farm road in parts. It varied from good going to testing! At height (we went over a low pass of 550 m) it was narrow, hairpin bends, and rocky and lower it was slippery in the drizzle. We met 2 cyclists struggling along, one pushing his bike up the rocky pass. The surrounding terrain is pretty. Termed humid temperate , we noticed wild fushias, bamboo canes, wild rhubarb etc. Lovely local hardwood trees. Wild lupins gave way to cystus and laburnham and then the forest. Up above, in the cloud, were snow capped mts.We arrive in Puyuhuapi. It is a small village of a few hundred inhabitants founded by german settlers in 1935. Our hotel for the night, Casa Ludwig, is owned by the daughter of one of those original 4 settlers. We eat in a `restaurant` up the road. It is a shop out the front and has a room at the back for the `restaurant`. We are the only clients. We eat what we are given and I choose wine to drink from the shop. Its like being in someone`s house for supper.We have now done about 500 miles on gravel roads. I much prefered this dirt road today compared to the Ruta 40 in Argentina. The Ruta 40 is dry , straight and windy with little to divert your mind from the bumpy surface. Its boring ..struggling NOT to look at how far it is to go. This road is really scenic , has potholes to keep you on your toes, as well as wandering cows, bridges over raging torrents, picturesque waterfalls, a pass where road narrows and becomes wet and rocky, and not least road works; which give slippery mud sections, falling rock sections and very loose soil sections! As we neared here there were a few bends around which you were confronted by a huge deep puddle and nowhere really to go apart from a thin strip of gravel. This was real motorcycle touring.
25th Nov Tues
We have had to make a choice. Back over the Andes to Argentina, travel north and then return to Chile OR continue on our road and catch a ferry on Friday from Chaiten to Puerto Montt. Today is only Tuesday so that means going dead slow as we are only one days travel from Chaiten. We have decided on staying in Chile. The reason the ferry is not running every day is because a volcano is erupting at Chaiten and the town has been evacuated. This started happening in May.So we have taken a day off and visited some hot springs at a `resort`. Some fellow guests wanted to go as well so they took us in their pickup which was easier for us. It entailed going back along the road we had come on for 13kms and then a little boat ride. We met some dutch in Chile Chico and one of them was the mangeress of this hot spring place. Thus when we turned up she gave us a good greeting. They said that they had all thought about us travelling the road yesterday and wondered how we had got on. Now they know!The hottest pool was 40c...pretty warm! It was all very swish and relaxing in a beautiful setting by the sea. Relax for days on end with service and good food etc. Clive rather fancied it. I am afraid it was out of our budget so back to Casa Ludwig for a second night. The road workers working on the road have blasted a bit more down today. The road is shut each day between 10.00 and 14.00 hrs. We will find similar tomorrow; we must enter the roadwork section north of here before 10am (or wait till 2pm).
26th Nov Wed
We are off by 9.15am in order to enter the road work area before 10am. We had had a very good evening with the very nice Chilean couple, Tiarella and George. They found a better place to eat than we had the night before. We sampled Pisco Sour made by George in the restaurant kitchen and then the lady produced some kind of shellfish starter followed by Hake and Conger Eel fried with potatoes. The shellfish were very meaty and unlike anything I know.We made it to the beginning of the road works with 5 mins to spare. Today proved to be a testing gravel road day! Road works can prove very tricky as surface can change from dry to wet to deep gravel to soil. Other sections of the road had the grading machine on and again these areas can be testing. I dropped the bike trying to get through a rather soily part of the road works. Total lack of confidence as I viewed a large stone in the rut I was going down. Pathetic of me..it is all in the mind. My initial instinct when I see something I don`t like the look of is to slow down. Sometimes the sudden lack of confidence leads to a complete stiffening of every muscle. Momentarily of course or I would not make it! Slowing down is generally not good especially when deep gravel(or sand) is encountered because the bike needs to be driven with power through it. Steady power on to keep the back wheel driving and then the bike will be able to be steered through. It all goes against the instinct, though, to go faster when the going looks horrible! However it works. Power on and its amazing what you can get through. So, driving as we have done a lot of today, on loose gravel that seems like marbles, can be achieved! How can we balance on two wheels on marbles? Don`t know....Bikes are doing okay. Nothing rattled off, no repeat of puncture yet, touch wood, my radiator hosepipe is moving a bit but have eye on it. Clive has lost one screw on his screen. Tyres are getting worn but my chain is doing okay. Odd bits of luggage aren`t making it...tent glue tube has burst, hole rubbed in tent bag....I know this because lo and behold we are camping tonight! Slightly desperate for somewhere to stay we had to back track down the gravel road for 25 k to an expensive fishing lodge. Totally unprepared because we had no food. So camping outside but eating in style! Rain is forecast especially tomorrow.
27th Nov Thurs
Well, our night in the tent went quite well. Quite warm enough, not too uncomfortable. It rained but we were dry. Each tent site has its own little hut which houses a table , bench seats and a fireplace with wood to burn. What more could we want...cup of tea, one banana and a fire. You may wonder why we do not go out and buy some food. The nearest shop is 25kms away down the gravel road and it is now pouring with rain. This area receives 4000mms per year. That is an average of 1/3 of an inch every day of the year. Forecast today here is for 2 inches. We have been lucky with the weather so not really moaning. Tent stays up and we commit to another nights camping here. Funnily enough we are the only campers! Ferry in the morning.We while away the day sitting around in the expensive hotel, using its free Wifi, chatting with the fishing mad guests, and looking out on a lovely view of a lake and mts covered in mist and lashing rain. Shame we couldn`t have had a good walk around.We discover a bit more about Chaiten , the destroyed ferry port. The volcanic ash/lava blocked its river causing the water behind to back up and then flood/destroy part of the town . The rest has ash half way up its buildings. Apparently...we might see tomorrow.
28th Nov Fri
It rained most of the night but did not get as cold as forecast. Well done to our tent, Aztec Duro. It took rain for 36 hours nonstop, much of it heavy and did not leak. We did get damp through the floor at the end of that second night but it was very soggy in the grass outside so not a surprise. We got up at 6am to break camp. Carried the very soggy tent to the loo block and rolled it up there. Set off in the rain but it very soon stopped and by the time we reached Chaiten blue sky was approaching.The nice police guarding the road intoChaiten lead us to believe that the ferry might not be going at 10am...if at all! Anyway they let us ride on into this devastated place. Grey ash piled up and many destroyed houses were seen as we slowly picked our way through to the sea. The road to the `port` area hung in space, cut in two by the power of water. We were shown how to get round via a dirt road.At the jetty we found some workmen otherwise not a lot of action for this supposedly imminent ferry. Worst fears confirmed almost...now scheduled for this afternoon. A brand new waiting room becomes our base and we hang around. I unpack all wet gear in the now lovely sunshine and festoon my bike and local bushes with the tent, sleeping bag etc. For a while we are happy but as the hours drag by and various mutterings of `Manana` start penetrating through and we get rather despondent. A german arrives and confirms that there really will not be a ferry today. He has arrived in Chaiten in a minibus expecting to catch a ferry this afternoon. Now one is scheduled for 8am. We all need to stay in this near deserted town overnight. We two decide to stick it out at the port and take full possesion of the new waiting room. We do not want to miss this ferry, whenever, if ever, it arrives. The german was luckier; amongst the bus passengers was a man who owned a house in Chaiten. He took all the passengers to his deserted house and opened it up. There was no electricity, no water, no sewerage. But they had a dusty bed!I had walked round the town in the afternoon. Its all very sad to see people`s houses/lives destroyed and deserted. Its a mess. Some houses stand as left ,ornaments in the windows etc, but others have been emptied. Three horses seem to have the run of the town though the only grass is down by the beach. The beach that was....its now grey volcanic dust strewn with debris from houses. The playground looks very sad with the slide sticking out of the grey. But as the german said...why haven`t they cleared any of it up.? Much could have been done, some parts were okay apart from the services. Is it because the volcano,Michimahuida ,is still active?We went to the one shop that had opened , bought food to cook in our one saucepan, and settled down to a night on the concrete floored waiting room. During the night Clive saw molten lava in the sky above the volcano. It is about 15 kms away.
29th Nov Sat
We are woken at 5.45am by a truck arriving. Various truckers had arrived during yesterday which was how we had found out about the ferry`s unreliability. There are no officials at the `port`. Several of the truckers had thought there was a ferry yesterday. They had spent the night with some families that are living in the town.Its quite cold but sun coming up as a ferry eventually heaves into sight. At last! Takes ages unloading and then loads one huge truck and one pick up and goes! We have all been told to wait for the next one...faster and bigger. Not despondent for too long as we see it coming as the other leaves. It takes ages to dock. Not surprising really as this whole bay has become quite silted up with volcanic ash and debris. It is also low tide. It has to turn on its anchors and then haul in on ropes. No roll on, roll off, but to us, once we are aboard, it is warm and comfortable. We are on our way again at last. Watching the erupting volcano as we leave Chaiten behind. All we need now is a lovely warm bath/shower. Both Clive and I have a cough , mine being very tickly and it has not helped the sleeping. We snooze as the former greek owned ship takes 7 hours to steam our way to Puerto Montt but that is not quite the whole story. We anchor up with destination tantalisingly across the water. We are waiting for a berth....probably the only berth. Patience yet again. Volcano Osorno rises up in the far distance on the right, perfect conical snow cap looking lovely in this bright blue sky. It is not erupting!3 hours we hung around! The slow ferry caught us up and even docked before us. Problems with the port! Eventually we got off at 8pm. We were on our way for 1 hour to Puerto Octay.
30th Nov Sun
Very kind hosts and some very nice fellow guests chatted to us as we ate a very good meal at about 10.30pm after a quick welcome shower.Armid (swiss) and Anya.(chillean) have built themselves a little switzerland here. Slightly ethnic but good value. Culture shock coming off the ferry into a bustling modern town and then riding on motorway through cultivated,neat green countryside looking like Germany or Switzerland. All this with three snowcapped volcanoes guarding over you. Volcano Osorno is text book in shape and is very majestic...we ride towards it to take photos but it is almost more beautiful from further away.Wooden houses, wooden churches, with tin roofs. New houses built like boxes, neatly packed in rows with their new tin roofs gleaming in the sunshine.The weather is spring like ....many familiar flowers around including rhododendrums,forsythia,lupins,cystus fushia but also the bright red chillean fire bush. Green fields, horses, and black and white cows grazing. Large birds of prey and different types of ibis fly around. Just what we want for we were tired after our troubles down south. A few hours on a ferry and we are in a different world.We are only aiming for Osorno today. We are going to Motoadventura tomorrow for tyre change and general check on the bikes. We find hostal near Motoadventura and go into town to eat in the evening. It is pretty run down...plenty of very neglected looking/dirty looking wooden houses. Shops dingy looking, centre lively though. Its Sunday and not all restaurants are open. We find some bar/café and have Pisco Sour drinks (chilean speciality ) along with some not brilliant food.
1st Dec Mon
Ibis birds outside are really noisy and wake us early. Other largish birds are also wandering the grass...poor worms! Hostal Truyaca was a good place nontheless. Off to Motoaventura....they` pick us` up and we follow to the workshop. Tyres and oil change for me, oil for Clive but he is going to carry his set of new tyres for a bit. He had done less mileage before we left. People nice and efficient.Its now hot! We set off for Pucon which is futher north in the chilean lake district. It is wedged between a lake and the largest volcano in Chile, volcano Villaricci, which is active. Lovely green rolling countryside, little traffic and all goes well. When we pull up I realise that my silly radiator hose is leaking again. I had a different clamp put on it at Motoadventura but it cannot be tight enough. Though touristy we find somwhere to stay without huge problems. Go shopping and I manage to leave the Chile Lonely Planet guide somewhere. Going to try and find it today! Had a very indfferent vegetarian meal in `the best vegetarian restaurant in Chile`.Supposedly served fish as well but we did not get any!
2nd Dec Tues
First job to get to Post office. I am sending home 2 books and Clive some surplus clothing. We bought 2 packets but in the end taped it all together to make it cheaper. Cost £27. Rather ridiculous...though Clive`s stuff worth more. Then the next job was to recover the guide if possible. 3 shops and it was in the second one. Glad it was not in the third...it was called El Tit ! I had gone there hoping to get a cheap watch but they could not get their credit card machine to work so I had given up. My all singing , all dancing watch got water in it when we went to the hotspring. I had it on to read the temp of the water. It got to 38.7c which must have been too much for it!We leave Pucon about midday after fiddling with my radiator hose again. We got Motoadventura to put a jubilee clip on but they put on one that was too big and obviously did not tighten enough because it was leaking again. During today I bought another jubilee clip and some coolant so we can hopefully make a good job of it ourselves tomorrow.Clive looks well laden with his new tyres on board. We decide to make some mileage north on the motorway...the Carrera Austral. We are now in Middle Chile. Rolling land, sort of european look with grassland , trees, crops of cereals and maize. As we head north the wooden houses give way to stone/brick ones. Scots Pine plantations cover unfertile hills giving a Mediteranean feel. Logging is big business.The motorway is more like a dual carriageway. Some poorer housing spills on to it, stalls selling honey sit in the verge, tractors are allowed as are bicycles which head towards you on the hard shoulder. We even met one coming towards us on the central reservation side of the fast lane. People cross or walk the hard shoulder. Copec, a petrol company has good stations with cafes,ATMs, good loos and even places to do your washing up outside.! Pushing on we head for the Pacific coast for the night. Its quite late, after 7pm, by the time we reach our destination. We climbed a small pass in the last 30km and I got cold in my T shirt having been in higher temps the rest of the day. Small place but find an Hosteria luckily. Village has quite different feel to last night with narrower streets, stone buildings and tiled roofs.
3rd Dec Wed
Slow start after putting on the new clamp on the hose of my bike. Dirt road to start with and soon construction road...always a nightmare changing from slippery watered dust to deep gravel etc. We wandered along achieving about 20 mph. Fishing villages, quite poor where dirt road was. Oxen plouging etc. Got to Chanco, touch of tourism. Clive chooses great dish of mussel soup for his snack. Most unusual as he normally has a pastry! Lovely fishing beach, lots of fishing boats being hauled up by tractor but oxen still in use hauling carts full of fish across the black sand. Ladies selling crabs etc. Rancherios in doorways!Nice coastal route , wild flower meadows, wild yellow lupins beside the road, farmland giving way to plantation forest. Great motorbiking and pretty scenery. Forestry becomes big business and many factories, pulp, cellulose, floor boards etc. Every lorry is carrying wood. See oxen ploughing and a horse too. Town called Constitucion is surrounded by shanty town wooden houses. It is over flowing and smells of sewage! Not a good place!We are advised later in a café to take another dirt road as opposed to the longer tarmac route. `Its good` he said. Off we go on the first bit, 16kms of tarmac, only to find it is under construction with some deep gravel in places and nice wet skiddy soily bits in others. I have one nice skid but survive while Clive goes carefully on in front. Who suggested this route? Specially prepared for motorcycles! We are getting a bit fed up bouncing along dirt roads! Looking for an hotel we find ourselves in a very exclusive area by Lagos Vichuquen. All the houses have german names and the hotel we find is out of our budget! So we arrive in Llica, a fishing village. It has wet its dirt road especially for us so we have to ride very carefully to the end of the road where we find a great place on the beach on the pacific. Vultures are hopping round the beach with the gulls eating up dead fish from the fisherman.
4th Dec Thurs
Mist and cloud disappear as we have breakfast.More dirt road to start the day with but once done it is very nice motorbiking on a good swooping road. Rancherios spotted now and then, as indeed they have all the way so far through Argentina and Chile. Plenty of horses in both countries still.We could be in Spain very easily. Vegetation and scenery very similar. Rolling countryside,dry looking,sun shining, crops including Proteas (what are they?), olive trees,vines,pine and eucolyptus trees, wild yellow lupins covering the hills and bright yellow buttercups line the road. We arrived successfully in Valpairaso but I lead us wrongly up the wrong hill looking for the right hill to stay on! Very steep cobblestone hill. We then followed a car for some distance back to the right hill to look for hotel/b and b. More steep cobblestones down again. Not easy on a bike. Now staying in very nice house (b and b) but had to park bikes in underground car park down below. Had to fend off stray dogs with our feet. They like to attack motorcyclists and especially your ankles.I managed to get one full on the face! Took ancient `ascensor` back up. Built in 1863! They have 15 of these still working.The Navy is in town. Plenty of British influence. We have a drink in Lord Byron and eat at The Brighton!.
5th Dec Fri
Though we get on the right road out of town, we lost it somehow! Clive didn`t like Valparaiso. I thought it okay. Everyone seems to live up in the hills and all business/shops seem to be on the flat bit near the sea/port. Our landlady prefered Santiago! She says "everyone in Chile, from top to bottom,is a thief!"We had eaten in a restaurant up on a hill overlooking the town. Very nice, can`t do that everywhere.Another day for mileage. We are heading north up the coast. There is no other choice of road really. Though it is motorway it is quite scenic and the road has some curves and some major ups and downs. The countryside is dry, except in the valleys. At first, north of Valparaiso, there are lots of fruit farms. Fruit trees growing all over the hills. But a change of valley and all goes; now we have scrub and cactus. In one place lots of Olive trees have been planted. We head for a beach resort called Tongoy. It is pre season (starts at Christmas ), so some places not really functioning. Hotel is found...it is empty but they won`t bargain much on the rate. We eat very fresh fish in a restaurant on the beach watching cars and lorries driving by on the beach! Pelicans feeding out in the sea just off the beach dicing with the odd rogue wave. We walk back to the hotel on sandy dirt streets. We have found an internet café in a sweet shop and are here for two nights.
6th Dec Sat
This is like a Sandbanks but needs another 50 years to mature. We clean and fix bikes a bit while it is cloudy but then it gets too hot (no shade in parking lot). Walk the beach, fancy a swim but quite cold.Later, we do swim. Big powerful waves with big undertow. Interesting!I then spend some time taking my garmin gps holder apart. My Zumo has not been working for several days. In the absence of my watch to tell the altitude I have had the zumo but now I have nothing. As I suspected the all weather proof holder has got water in it and it has shortcircuited the little electronic board. Its had it. I am fed up. Clive has one and I will now have to nag him for altitude details. Not quite the same.
7th Dec Sun
Lazy start but off by 10am. Nice temp, around 20c and sunny. We are heading up the coast for awhile and then the road goes further inland. Not long and we are in the region of Atacama. Stony desert. Large hills covered in stone, rocks, scrub and cacti. The road is good, wending its way up and down and around these barren hills. We climb some passes, a couple over 1000 metres. It gets browner and browner, even the cacti are giving out! Occasional glimpses of greenery where there are wadis and sand on the hills making them look like enormous sand dunes. A couple of large towns as we head for Copiapo and then beyond to Bahia Inglesia.The road is a trucking road. Us and trucks. No petrol stations , just very ramshackle truck stops that look like falling down shacks. Luckily there is a breeze and things do not get too hot even though it looks so dry.All along the road there are brightly coloured shrines. Shrines for each accident victim. At times it is not quite believable that so many have died. This road is good with long straight bits and little traffic. Very few cars. Yet here we are stopped by a shrine that says 23 year old Dayan died here. Just near the airport, south of Caldera is the worst spot for accidents in Chile. We did see a large number of traffic police.`We get to Bahia Inglesia . It is famous for two things at least. One is its scallops (very good) and two is that it boasts South America`s first railway station and first rail line in South America. The line ran between here and Copiapo to export silver and nitrates. British railway!Towards the end of the day Clive discovered that his bike`s brakes had a fault ie he is losing brake fluid. His computer has been flashing warning lights at him. We cannot see the source of the leak...its somewhere under his petrol tank, but we can see its leaking! Put it off till tomorrow and admire this pretty bay. Plenty of young here, kite boarding across the bay. Lovely beaches between rocks and supposedly lots of pelicans which I want to see in the morning. Hope to be able to keep bike brakes going till Antofagasta by buying brake fluid and topping up.
8th Dec Mon
We learnt last night that today is a bank holiday. Since we have not been near a shop or town all day today it did not affect us much!Off to petrol station to get petrol and brake fluid. Clive is going to ride with back brake only. At the same time we make sure the front brake reservoir is topped up because they might be linked through the ABS system. We head off up the coast at first until the road takes us inland. It is not too hot till later but, wow,its barren. Brown hill/mts with nothing growing. There is the road with us, a few cars, trucks and buses. The ever present shrines decorate the verges, adding a bit of colour along with bits of tyres and other truck debris. Now and then there is a teeny bit of green and a shack or two. In the distance remains of old mines now and then and some active ones.We keep topping up the brake reservoir which is leaking in spite of not being used. It is a great road for not having to use your brakes....lucky there! Keep nagging Clive for altitude updates. We reach an altiplano of about 2000 metres and the temp is still reasonable...below 30c as we go along at about 70mph. But about 3pm it reaches the dizzy heights of 35c and I wonder what it will be like down at sealevel in Antofagasta ? I ride striving to get maximum wind funneling down my jacket. Sooner than we expected we reach `the hand in the desert`.Large modern day concrete hand sticking up out of the desert. The chileans have graffitied it rather horribly. Not as big or as remote as we had both expected.Down to Antofagasta following the dried up river in its gorge. A railway track has been laid in the river bed so there can`t be too many flash floods!( average rainfall is 1mm, yes, 1mm, per year.). Clive`s front brake fluid is now leaking more badly inspite of the fact he has not used it. In the evening we manage to negotiate a mechanic for 11am next morning. There is no BMW agent even though this is 2nd largest city after Santiago.
9th Dec Tues
We have decided to check out of the hotel, hoping the problem will be fixed by the afternoon.The mechanic does come at 11am and we go off to this Yamaha dealer, our hotelier leading the way. Problem is explained to them and so we set to, to remove the petrol tank. Quite a performance but lots of screws later it is off .The problem is soon apparent. It is one of the pipes coming out of the ABS unit. Its seating washer has a crack in it. Off goes man and later comes back with a new pipe made of copper...but of course, we are right in the centre of the copper mining region. We saw copper sheets coming in on the train yesterday.He gets it on and we get the tank back on etc. All in all takes 3 hours everyone doing their bit! Seems to have done the trick but as we set off Clive says his warning lights are on again. He had gone a tiny distance with no warning lights. We have to ride back to the hotel to collect his bags anyway. On the way he then says maybe the warning is his tyre pressure. His bike has too many sensors.! Sure enough, outside the hotel, we check his back wheel and there sits what looks like a nail in the tyre. Get out my pliers ( remove seat, take off bag yet again) and get nail out and down goes the tyre!Hotel owner, young and doing well, has had nothing better to do all day than hang around us, (This is lucky because he can speak english) is now bidden by Clive to help push the bike up the hill and round the corner, quick, to the petrol station. In the meantime I put my seat back on and the bag, and follow! We end up at a tyre man round the corner from the petrol station. More unpacking to get more tools out as Clive decides whether to mend or replace his tyre with the one he has been carrying the last few days. Replace both; and so we get on with it. Give up leaving and ask hotelier if he has empty room. We get the one we checked out of back! All done and take a brief ride around, no warning lights! Fingers crossed that all is now well. Only small problem is that I have two small scews still in my pocket....should have gone somewhere on Clive`s bike`s bodywork on reassembly !!
10th Dec Wed
We ate again in the same place as last night. Its a bit of a dubious area so we acted cautiously. The restaurant was good and tonight we ate late enough to be treated to two men playing in duet on the piano! It was good. Waiter kept on giving us little tots of some local liquor. Did us no good!The hotel had treated us well but its breakfast was not good , the bed not that great, and noisy trucks woke us up in the morning. It had been a bit of an enforced stay.All seems well with Clive`s bike but tyre sensors playing up. Nice ride up the coast beside the sea.( Still heading north in Chile as dirt road into Bolivia not advisable in rainy season. Instead we will take the third and only paved option.) The road is between the high cordillera and the rocky coast. Lots of seabirds on the water`s edge when there is a beach and every now and then white guano covered rocks. I think this is caused by sea going pelicans and other larger birds. In one place we saw several very large pelicans catching fish and perched on the rocks. They were really quite a sight. At the same time , high overhead were various birds of prey incuding vultures and Condors.Going through customs from one region to another we spied another biker. Whilst sitting outside the café with him, 2 more turn up and then another 3 (who did not stop). They were going south; the one from Panama and the two from LA.We head on north to Iquique the chief town of this taxfree region. Its heyday was nitrate mining, followed by silver mining. Now its beaches and tourism. The old main street has been well preserved with its old wooden colonial buildings, old wooden tram and lovely well used theatre. Wooden boardwalk as well. Back one street and its modern mess!Our hotel looks fine but we soon discover the water is off...till 8pm. We are hot and dirty!
11th Dec Thurs
Finally shower in the morning but I am the lucky one with hot water! Hopeless hotel! Here we are tonight in Arica, people are are still doing their shopping, as in the butcher, the bread shop etc, at 11pm! No wonder the restaurants start late...we are generally gasping at their doors by 8.30pm. Tonight we did quite well. It can be a bit hit and miss with the menu but our second last night in Chile (hopefully) we did well with fresh fish in a sauce with the right amount of veg. We have ordered too much , too little etc on occasion , as you can imagine! This town is very lively with local people. We have admired the church...its made of iron by Mr Eiffel of Eiffel tower fame. Older than the Eiffel tower, it was fabricated in France and shipped over in parts. It survived an earthquake. Amazingly attractive and really quite big. We were impressed. We had a good ride from Iquique via yet more desert. Amazing valleys that we crossed...1000m down to the dried up river bed, over the bridge and up 1000m on the other side. The road cut across the sandy slope like a skier cutting across a virgin powder snow slope. You felt that the whole road could go down as if in an avalanche on the slope. These huge barren hills of brown sand ( not dunes) felt like huge slopes of snow....ready to slip at any time! Down to the bottom which had a little bit of greenery in it and up on to a plateau which today was pretty flat. Ghost mining towns and the odd truckers stops, and our road. Luckily not to much wind! We have found the scenery of the Atacama more interesting than the road south of Buenos Aires even though it is more barren. The Cordillera is more majestic and the coast more interesting . The sheer lack of vegetation/life is extraordinary .
12th Dec Fri
Today we stop heading north and head for Bolivia by turning east and going inland. Following the green river valley we are sign posted to look at geoglyphs. Apparently some Inca shallow depression lined with stones. We plod along various little paths but cannot understand or appreciate the difference between stones of today and yesteryear! One pile of stones looked just like another. Plod back to bikes! Later geoglyphs turn out to be art on the barren hillsides! Not very impressed we go on. Leave green valley and climb up and up and up. At 3300m. We stop in café feeling a bit light headed. A short while ago we were at sea level! The road is a great mountain road, good motorbiking with a few trucks. Loaded tankers getting fuel from Chile for Bolivia. Loaded car transporters getting cars from Chile. After café road still climbs, up to 3800m, before we stop for the day and before the border. The idea is to acclimatise a bit before tackling the high pass and reaching La Paz! Putre is our base before entering a national park and the pass. Weather has been good but it is now about 17c at 3500m.To help acclimatise we go off to a thermal bath place. Its at 4100m! However its very pleasant and relaxing. Head back to Putre and bump into 2 English bikers on their Transalps. Steve and Deborah are very experienced travellers from the sound of it. She is the first woman biker I have seen on this trip. She says I am the first she has seen for weeks. They have been travelling for 7.5 months from Montreal, Canada southwards. We exchange news and info and have a meal together. We learn a bit about the roads in Peru and more and give them info on what to expect on their way south!
13th Dec Sat
We are going to be leaving Chile today after about 3 weeks travelling. We will not be sorry to say good bye to plastic processed cheese for breakfast and melted in sandwiches, and the very thin loo paper which has to be chucked after use into a bin beside the loo. We have found the people to be very friendly and helpful, have made great use of free wifi in almost every hotel of any kind, and better signs in towns than Argentina. We travelled about 3800kms(2375m) in Chile ,the equivalent of going from John O Groats to somwhere in the Sahara!....The final road to the border is very scenic, going up and up to 4660m to pass into Bolivia with 3 volcanoes covered in snow, lording it over us, one active! Pale green marshy altiplano valleys play host to flamingoes, llamas and alpacas. Indigenous indians, living in tiny mud brick built houses with grass roofs, are herding their flocks. The women in their huge wide colourful skirts and top hats often carrying a child on their backs wrapped in a colourful blanket.The border is busy with trucks but we finally get through, change money with a colourful lady and get on our way again. There is no where to stay between here and La Paz, 300kms away. We remain on the altiplano at about 3800m. Its fairly barren but fertile in the wetter valleys. The grass is pale and very tussocky. Not much traffic and its good going. Clive is not on top form...his bike`s new front tyre does have a slight leak and his hydraulic clutch seems to be playing up. Is that the altitude? We also got stopped in a police check and had to pay a bribe to get going again. He does not fancy La Paz either.The Bolivian driving is going to be more interesting..plenty of overtaking happening on double lines, more people on the road verges, dogs and some very slow old vehicles.We did quite well getting settled in La Paz in the end. We kept asking for a certain district which took us in the right direction. Lack of street names and signs makes things difficult. However found hotel that Steve and Deborah had stayed in and though that was full are staying in one next door.At first glance it would seem that there are many poor on the streets. It would also seem that most houses are only half built before being lived in...concrete frame in-filled with red bricks and you have your walls. Flat roof and there you are.
14th Dec Sun
We both slept badly...too hot under 3 thick heavy blankets, plenty of street noise and maybe the height was to blame. In the morning there was no hot water so we were happy to leave this hotel. Only highlight was an excellent `charque kan` (kind of empanada)from a streetseller doing a roaring trade near the hotel. Weather warm as we negotiate our way very successfully(Clive with map) further down town to check out the BMW place. Having got that lined up for Monday and got his front tyre seen to we find a much better hotel in a better spot. I think we are just `absorbing` La Paz as opposed to sightseeing! The height makes some exertions hard work . Clive and I are huffing and puffing a bit, Clive in particular! Warm weather gives way to a tropical shower in the late afternoon.One real change from Chile is the number of soldier like police around. They seem to be on every street corner, even in the petrol station. There are security people everywhere too, around the hotel, shops etc.15th Dec MonUp early so Clive can get his bike seen to. However as we get ready in the street this smart guybin a suit walks across `to help us` speaks good english and is obviously an affluent Bolivian in his slightly old Mercedes sports car. Tell him we are off to Elite Motors. `Oh no, I know somewhere better`. Off we go, him leading. Not so far... He then says goodbye. Very kind, and not after anything. Clive`s clutch is behaving better anyway so all that is needed is a further bleed of the brakes. No great improvement is noted because to do a proper job means tank off again ( according to to this guy).Off we go to Coroico by about 10.30am. Its about 100kms on an interesting road. Until they made a tarmac road it was called the `road of death`. The original `road of death` is still in use, mainly by mountain bike riders. IF it was not rainy we would do it ,but it is raining and very foggy. As it is our road has its moments with dirt bits due to rock falls. Weather clears as we drop in altitude. After La Paz we went up through a high pass and then down at least 3000m.We somehow miss the correct road after dropping to the valley bottom and end up climbing up to this small town on a single track old cobble road. It was deteriorating in parts and had lots of hair pin bends. Up and up we went, with vegetation spilling on to the track. Find Hotel Esmeralda clinging to the hillside. Fantastic views over green mountain sides..the Youngas.We have gone from high barren altiplano at 4000+m to tropical jungle at 1800m. Pretty birds, warmth, humidity and flowers etc. Town is not that great but full of locals sitting on the pavements trying to sell their wares. Several europeans in our hotel...it is a centre for treking. They trek down the country route we came up! Tomorrow we will leave by the correct route..we are not doing `road of death` back up...too wet. Done our off road for the day.
16th Dec Tues
Good breakfast, much better than Chile. I don`t think we saw an egg in Chile. Off we go to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. Its a 300km ride. We have an amazing motorbiking day. We go from tropical 22c, sunny/cloudy but dry 1800m Coroico, down a winding cobble ( twice the width of the `wrong` road) road ,dropping 800m and getting hotter. We have waterproof trousers on plus quite warm tops in preparation for the next bit. Tarmac now, but broken in places due to rock falls. We get wonderful views until we enter cloud/fog and rain. Up and up, bend after bend , one hour plus uphill only, until we break through the rain /cloud and reach the top at 4670m (15,177ft)and 5c. By now in all waterproofs! Down to La Paz , 3800m,where we manage to pick up a road taking us round the rim and eventually on to the right road to Lake Titicaca. Road signage is bad. We manage a stop in a café where I sample the one and only dish of stew and Clive has a coke because he is not feeling too great. Whilst there we watch the local bus start up by being pushed by 3 large ladies in their big skirts and bowler hats, and one man. It slowly lurches off! Soon we reach a place where we have to catch a little ferry. Its entirely wooden and takes one small lorry and us...on planks with gaps. The whole boat flexes in the swell...why doesn`t it leak?? Or sink??We hang on to our bikes on this very open deck. We make it..it costs £1 each. 35kms still to do but it involves another climb and we go from 3800m to 4200m(13,650ft ) and down again before reaching destination. On the way it hails on us. Before entering town the police need `paying`! Copacabana is small and full of young tourists but we find the Hostal Leyenda. Final biking skill is to ride down 3 steps into a small courtyard. We shall worry about how to get out in the morning!Clive feeling weak and takes to bed while I look at the main street and the lake which our hotel is very close to.So we went from 1800m to 1000m, to 4670m to 3500m to 4200m and back to 3800m. From tropical and 22c to barren altiplano and 5c.We are acclimatising. Even so you feel you need to take deep breaths at 4600m ! That`s only sitting on the bike!
17th Dec Wed
Clive is feeling better and after breakfast takes on the job of riding both bikes up the three steps of the hotel successfully. I have problems on such occasions of my feet not reaching the ground at all! No excuse...I took the photo!Bolivia/Peru border was very quiet and it was pretty straight forward. Onwards into Peru...a country I have dreamed of visiting since studying it for A level geography a very long time ago. Goodbye to all those police on every bolivian corner. Friendly people whilst very poor. We are following Lake Titicaca round to Puna. Plenty of villages by the lake, either fishing or farming. Everyone is pursuing a subsistence living. No shops or industry in any of these villages,just houses dotted everywhere amid their little fields. Sometimes divided by stone walls depending on the nature of the countryside. Mudbrick houses with tin roofs. Plenty of animals by the verge but mostly tied with a rope. Pigs, sheep, llama, alpaca,donkeys and cows. And dogs! People at work everywhere,..ladies in their big skirts and hats working on the land sowing ,weeding (would have thought the skirt would have got in the way as they bend over). Men with wooden ploughs and cows pulling. Donkeys as beasts of burden too. We did see half a dozen tractors so times are changing.... All busy growing a vast array of vegetables and more.Stop in a town with shops and a café. Busy place and pretty...ladies very colourful and buildings now more interesting. Arrive in Puno by lunchtime. We have gained an hour again which is good as it gives us time to take a boat ride to the floating islands. We are surprised to see Tuk tuks ( as in asia) scootor powered and cycle powered. Ferry to the islands was in an old wooden boat that reminds me of the old ferry in Overy run by Tiddler. The good old engine needs coaxing along and cuts out at one point! The floating islands are worth a visit. A different life out there on your reeds in the lake. About 2000 Uros people live there. Puno is a good town; nice interesting streets with character, hustling and bustling. Storms threaten and it rains as we go to bed ( as it did last night).
18th Dec Thurs
Still raining as we pack the bikes. They were under a roof which was useful. My back brake better after I adjusted it again. Clive`s tyre still has mini leak where the tyre lever damaged it. We stay with Lake Titicaca till Juliaca, a very busy but also dirty town. Filthy industy on outskirts and then, because it was raining, all looked dirty. Dirty water on the streets, muddy side streets, muddy `pavements`. Masses of Tuktuks, bicycle taxis, minivans, trucks and us.The weather clears up and we make good progress following a river that feeds Lake Titicaca . Pale green tussocky grass verging on brown covers the big hills on either side, and flat valley that we are in. Snow capped mts are glimpsed now and then.Herding is the main occupation...sheep, cows and a few llama. Mud brick houses are still being built with their tin roofs. The ladies in their full skirts, their hats and their wool footless socks are quite a sight. Their long wool socks have no feet but just a loop that goes under the foot. They seem in a perpetual state of falling down.We reach 4400m and the watershed for lake Titicaca . Now down to Cusco. This valley is much more fertile. Intensive vegetable production is taking place on mini fields with hand/animal labour. We stop and have a bowl of soup in a café. It is really good vegetable soup with all sorts of unknown vegetables in it. Best dish I have had so far.We think of stopping short of Cusco but place no good so on to Cusco which is not as bad to enter as we thought. In fact it is very attractive, having a real spanish feel with lovely big buildings around a central plaza. We find a good spot in the Casa Grande and bikes are brought into a court yard. Have a drink in the Norton Rat pub which serves Greene King beer and Abbot Ale.! Run by an american.We start planning the Machu Picchu trip. Whatever way, it is going to cost a silly amount of money. It is the monopoly on the train that does it. However, they even charge $60 to those who decide to walk it (4 days)!.
19th Dec Fri
We decided yesterday to get to Ollantaytambo on our bikes and then take the train for Machu Picchu from there the next morning. So we book an eticket on the internet not realising that we have to go to a station in Cusco to exchange it for a real ticket. We did this by taxi this morning. Constantly plagued by sellers and ticket touts we take some photos of the Plaza des Armes and its magnificent buildings and slowly get ready to move off to Ollantaytambo .Its about a 2 hour ride up . Ollantaytambo has its own Inca ruins up on the steep hills behind the village; for that is all it is. Very pretty with original cobbled streets, water channels and very old houses round a plaza. Very touristy and infested with tourist buses which I feel should be banned from entering the village. They are too big for the narrow cobbled streets. Been lucky with weather and hope we are tomorrow. The idea is to catch an early train from here (halfway) and beat the trains/tourists from Cusco by a couple of hours. We have also begun the Inca tourist bit by seeing this place!!
20th Dec Sat
Machu Picchu day! Up early to have breakfast (very basic) before catching the Vistadome train to Aguas Caliente. It crept along beside the river Urubamba through great gorges constantly tooting. We travel downhill which seems strange as my idea of Machu Picchu is of being very high up. The river is muddy coloured and rushing down hill to the Amazon! We are on the east side of the Andes!The tropical vegetation comes right up to the train. It runs on time and takes 1 12 hrs from Ollantaytamba. The only hang up to the day is that it is not just low morning cloud...its raining!Aguas Caliente is nestled tight amongst high mountains. It has no connecting road with Ollantaytamba or anywhere else, just the train. This however is where you then catch a bus to travel 8kms up to Machu Picchu , a climb of about 500m.It is raining, but with our motorcycle raingear on and my umbrella to help keep cameras dry, we are fine.Machu Picchu is about 3400m high. It does seem a lovely spot to live though some of the terraces are literally hanging to the side of some very sheer drops. It is more compact than the classic photo of it leads you to believe. Not too many tourists since this is low season. It is impressive. After 3 hours of exploring the siteI decide to walk down the very steep mountainside on a special stepped path back to Aguas Caliente, whilst Clive returns on the bus.The bus route is a series of hairpin bends down the mountain side. I get very hot !At Machu Picchu there is one hotel. It is very expensive , $800 per person per day! The railway from Cusco to Machu Picchu is privately run and the same company owns the hotel. That company is Sea Containers who also own the Orient Express, whose finance director was a friend of Clives We catch the train back. The weather has cleared and we spot high mts covered in snow.
21st Dec Sun
It is funny to think of everyone back home getting ready for Christmas etc. This hotel has no decorations up though there are some about town.Hard to spot...more than in Africa,where there was virtually nothing.The sun is shining! Got the wrong day for Machu Picchu perhaps. It didn`t spoil it as far as seeing. We could have had some better photos I guess with more scenery in the background.It is cold if the sun does not shine. Last night, though dark, all the restaurants had their doors open. It was like eating in a barn. Perhaps they think its warm. Breakfast here is eaten in a room with 2 doors wide open. We have all our biking clothes on to stay warm. Its hardly cosy!We ride our bikes up the 2 steps from the dining room through which they had gone to reach a patio out the back where they have been parked the last 2 days. Off to Abancay and beyond in the direction of the coast. Do a wee bit of good dirt road to cut a corner but then take a wrong road (no signs and misdirected!) and do some more. It takes us on a bit of a loop but its interesting!The country people are very poor. The older people are subsisting on their little holdings. Their children are no longer traditionally dressed but probably are helping out. Few bicycles, some small motorcycles and some cars. Local taxis in the form of tuktuks in the towns and minibuses between villages ferry the poorer around. Donkeys , of which there are plenty by the road, seem to only carry loads, not pull carts. Every village has piles of homemade bricks made from the local clay. Houses are still being made and repaired with them.The area all around Cuzco is very fertile and all sorts of crops are grown in tiny fields. Later, after the first pass of the day (3900m) it becomes drier looking and more barren. Always there are wandering animals...later in the day we cope with wandering goats and pigs as well as cows, horses and dogs.The scenery is spectacular today. The road is very twisty but good. We go over two passes of 3900m and in between down to 1800m. After Abancay the road sweeps up a river valley with many gorges. We end up in Chalhuanca where, luckily, there is an hotel.A chance meeting with 3 bikers as we ate in the restaurant next door was very informative. Firstly there are road works ahead which means part of the road will be shut for several hours; and secondly we have 2 more passes of over 4000m to do tomorrow! We told them about Machu Picchu ! They also told us it had snowed on them on one of the passes. We look forward to tomorrow!On the bike front my radiator pipe clamp has moved again and Clive`s back mud guard has nearly fallen off (and eventually will).
22nd Dec Mon
Up for a timely start. Rained in night. Breakfast was papaya juice (great) and tea and coffee. We never got any bread...could have been language mixup. Coffee is interesting here. They bring a cup of hot longlife milk and then you add coffee essence from a bottle. We tip some of the milk into my tea before Clive adds the essence. If you ask for tea with milk then its all milk!The roadworks ahead mean we want to reach Puquio by 12 noon. Its 185kms including a pass of 4500m.We reach the top..its cold 8c, its barren, not a tree in sight, rocky with tussocky grass and yet here is a village of tiny mud brick houses with little thin wooden doors,straw roofs and single windows. Many with no electricity , none with heating or bathrooms! Why do they want to live here? No wood for a fire, no comfort, just alpaca fleeces! No soil to grow veg in, just tussocky grass for their llamas and alpacas. The children look weather beaten . Everyone is very short. Why live here?The snow from last night is still lying. This pass is no up and down job; we ride for ages at this height getting colder until we stop and put more clothes on. Finally its down to Puquio at 3200m. Very poor and a dump of a place, all dirt roads.Our road works never materialise! Possibly doing work on Sundays only? Road is in a bad way, masses of potholes and bumpy. Up we go again, all the way to 4500m but this time its soon on the way down. This time we are going all the way to 590m at Nasca. Down and down, twist and turn and bump, bump. Dry arid country gets drier and hotter as we descend. Take off some clothes! Amazing the difference height makes. Now we are in Nasca famous for the Nasca lines. We are dirty ( last 3 hotels had hopeless hot water supplies) tired of hairpin bends and hot, so choose a better hotel than usual, it has a pool so Clive goes for a swim to cool down.! The road from Cuzco to Nasca is 560kms (350 miles). It is an absolutely brilliant motorbiking road,like riding through north Wales but on a far grander scale. Bends,good surface mostly, gorges and passes (4 up to 13,000 feet and down to 4,000),verdant valleys, dry barren desert, high barren plain and very little traffic .
23rd Dec Tues
For a while the road was fine and interesting , crossing barren hills and then plunging into green valleys. We vaguely saw some of the Nasca lines . After Ica the traffic got heavier and the roadside busier. Not so nice. Eventually the busy road nears the coast and we can see the Pacific again. The desert comes right up to the sea. Small coastal strip and then barren rocky hills covered by sand; sand dunes as well. Strange but messy with human activities. Shacks and abandoned shacks, battery houses (poor hens) and other strange businesses trying to survive in the sand. Whilst I question why people want to live at 4400m, I also wonder why they want to live here in this dirty looking desert. Gone are ladies in their big skirts; now its more modern. We are nearing Lima! Its dirty, messy, struggling roadside life. Big trucks, large modern buses, fast large pickups, crazy fast drivers and little tuktuks .We are trying not to stay in Lima so stop about 140kms south of it in a good surfing place called Cerro Azul. Called a beach resort but you could say under developed. Some young surfing and doing well on good waves giving them a long ride; all watched by a pelican from his rock. We have an hotel on the beach. It will not be full for Christmas but will be for New Year says the owner. Its still being repaired so they are cutting it fine!
24th Dec Wed (Christmas Eve)
Make our way to Lima. Road improves and becomes duel carriageway which makes things easier. More old volkeswagon beetles on the road. We have seen really quite a few. Peru must have bought up all the worlds old beetles.All goes well getting around/through Lima except for one thing. In the traffic I notice that my bike is not freewheeling easily; a brake must be sticking. It gets worse and then in stop/start traffic in a concrete underpass with nowhere to stop,it gets really bad. The brake is on so hard that the bike engine really struggles to move the bike. Just manage to get out and to the side to stop. The back brake pedal needed adjusting! Now realise that height (metres above sea level) has a quite big effect on the brake fluid pressure. I had adjusted the back brake pedal play in Bolivia...up high. What we do not understand is why does it take 30 hrs or so to alter ( we hit sea level 2 days ago). Both of us have noticed that the front brake lever play is less and that the brakes are working better. Also height affected Clive`s hydraulics....again gradually. The engines have both run well, coping with the height and bad petrol (85 octane). Today we found 98 octane and we had better performance!On then ,to Barranca, the only spot on the coast north of Lima and within today`s reach . It looks awful, no beach, just rubbish, very busy main street. But we find a fine Hotel Chavin.
It is not that hot, mid 20`s, very misty. In these cloudy conditions the desert looks horrible and dirty. It has not been a pretty ride; dirty desert, dirty squalid housing, poultry farming in dirty looking low long sheds, belching trucks etc!
We go out in the evening to celebrate Christmas Eve. It is very low key. There are decorations but no special meal or food as far as we know. Whilst eating we see several cooked turkeys being taken through the restaurant and given to customers. The restaurant has cooked turkeys and other large joints for those people who do not have an oven big enough. Each turkey is in a pan and is then covered by a plastic bag and the happy family carry it out and home. We had some langoustines tortillas! Town busy shopping and shopping till they drop.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL XX
25th Dec Thurs (Christmas Day)
Decided to move on. This is not quite the kind of spot to have a few days in. Made some Christmas phone calls and left about 11am to do a 4 hour ride to Huaras in the mountains . Huaras is at 3100m but guess what...up we go to 4100m from sea level in 75 miles. At the top in a little village we stop at a café. Its 8c, door is open , no heating, and there is the family having Christmas lunch of chicken with all their outside clothing on. They are tough! Pretty high altiplano;local cheese from cows or sheep which are herded on the plain. Very unspoilt. The road wends its way downhill. Its tarmac, just, with large potholes in parts.
Huaras is not quite the lively place we thought it might be. Our hotel has 83 rooms and only 3 taken tonight. Winter time is more high season than now. A mountain guide starts chatting to us...he takes people treking on the high cordillera. The highest mountain in the tropics in the world is here above us. The film `Touching the Void` was based on a true happening that happened near here. Our christmas meal was a chinese one. Our drink was some Peruvian liqueur bought yesterday. Peruvians have their main Christmas meal on Christmas Eve and it is traditionally turkey followed by Panetoni cake with chocolate sauce. We are going to take a tricky road tomorrow and head back to the coast.
26th Dec Fri
Its a lovely sunny day and we can see Mt Busscaran (6760m), the highest mt in the tropics in the world, and all the rest of the snow capped Cordillera Blanca.
We set off gently down this pretty valley of the River Santa. (rather apt for Christmas!). No boxing day drinks for us; instead we have an arduous time ahead. But for now we admire the ladies in their hats and plaits and brightly coloured (red/pink) wide but short (to the knee) skirts and woollen leggings. The fertile valley growing sugarcane, veg, fruit and all sorts. People are busy.
We reach the dirt road bit. We have been told its rough, that its narrow, that it goes through a gorge, that it has swampy parts but importantly that it follows the river...that is downhill for us. Thus we do not expect a pass!
We have dropped down to about 2000m so we also hope things are not too steep. It begins with the Canon del Pato. Single track rocky road, about 10 foot wide, lots of tunnels (35 or so at this point) and sheer drops to the river way down below. This is where the Cordillera Negro and Cordillera Blanca nearly touch. Don`t look down and all is well, make a mistake and you have one yard before you are over the edge.After about 20 miles we got light relief in the form of some highly colourful characters with masks and musicians. We stop , take photos, Clive is coerced by the single large lady to join in and duly obliges still with helmet etc on.We take photos in return for a bit of money and on we go. Next excitement is meeting a big bus. Not sure it will go up the gorge...we don`t think the tunnels are big enough. However it stops for Clive and then waits for me. In front of it is an enormous puddle. In I go with plenty of throttle and soak myself. Must have looked good from the bus. Vision clears and there are some more red mud puddles still to get through. Slow down with thoughts of being not only wet, but covered in red mud. Make it past the bus.
Then there see a small dwelling with outside it a mass of donkeys all over the road/track. Wend our way through. What are they doing here amongst these barren rocky mts? Further along we notice opencast coal mines. There seem to be many black seams in the rock.
We are going downhill all the time. We go pretty slowly, second gear, dodging around rocks and stones. Next hassle for me is a lorry that did not stop. Clive has already passed him so we sit there facing each other. I am not going to budge out of my track into some very rough looking rocks near a drop of 200 feet to the raging river below. I get off the bike and walk to him, show I am a pathetic female and tell him in my best english that he will have to go back! He slowly reverses and I pass when I like the look of the ground!
By the time we have covered about 40 miles out of the 50 or so, we met several motorbikes. There were 5 of them,all rather spread out. We talk about the road. The last 2 look fed up already but hopefully they make it....especially after seeing a female! There were some more bits of water, more road that looked like a river bed, another gorge and then we got to tarmac again. It was only 50 miles or so but took us about 4 hours.
We then sped down the rest of the valley, still with the river. Fertile with plenty of rice growing, cotton, maize, sugar cane and various other crops.Reach Santa, a smallish place but it has an hotel, 2 star for £6 the night. We eat in one of the many little restaurants. They all serve the same food! Chicken,chips and salad. Difficult to get a beer but we got one. No wine, no pisco sour. Meal cost £5 for two. It is our cheapest night! Now hot again, windows open, constantly barking dogs and tooting horns,crows crowing, and turkeys gobbling.
28th Dec Sat
Dawn chorus of sparrows, turkeys,dogs, cockerels , cars and people ensured we woke early. We actually managed to stay in bed by watching the musical `Cats` thanks to cable tv! Nevertheless off early to Trujillo and then on to Huanchaco just north of Trujillo. Saw centre of Trujillo where we got our boots polished watched by the police! u
Found good hotel in Huanchaco and will stay here 2 nights.
28th Dec Sun
Cleaned bikes, washed clothes, tried body boards in the surf (sea quite cold), generally relaxed. Not that warm really because very hazy plus breeze from sea. Late morning walk by me, saw locals in the sea, mostly in their clothes, arms down in the shallows, gathering a fine kind of seaweed. This was put in big bags.
29th Dec Mon
Off we go again....heading ever northwards. Reach Chicklayo near the coast. It has many museums nearby . We try to visit the `Museo of the Royal tombs of Sipan . But very unfortnately it is shut on Mondays. I would have liked to have seen the history of the tomb. The mummified body is decorated with gold. The Mocha people used to bury their royalty like the egyptians ,in pyramids. Trouble is that they built the pyramids of mud bricks (adobe) and they do not weather so well! But we see an old `pyramid` at Tucoma, a little further on. This is a Sican site, not Moche. (but they both used adobe pyramids).Over a large site they have 26 pyramids . However, imagination does have to play its part, as these pyramids have been very weathered.We take a road that skirts the Sechura Desert rather than straight across. Clive would have prefered the straight across route. We could each have taken our separate routes and met at Piura . The road is flanked by very dry looking trees and vegetation . It is hot...rises to 34c. But the road sweeps along and as long as we keep moving we are fine. Many animals are wandering free on the verges, donkeys, horses, goats and sheep. Donkeys are being used here to pull water bowsers. To our right we have mountains where we see tropical storms in the sky, to our left is dry scrub where the odd scrub fire is burning. We speed on in between with minimal traffic but several villages.Piura has a nice central plaza . We should have settled for the hotel there but instead find one a few streets away. The lady receptionist is the only unfriendly person we have come across in Peru. We should have given up on her but it was hot and we had parked and half unloaded the bikes.We leave Peru tomorrow. I have enjoyed the colourful ladies with their hats etc,we have enjoyed eating fresh fish, vegetable soups and nibbling fried salted sweetcorn` kernels`; the amazing high passes and the barren rocky desert. Clive enjoyed the sheer motorcycling...so did I.!We didn`t like the lack of hot water which was often promised but also often disappointed .
South America. Ecuador, Colombia,Venezuela
2008-12-30 to 2009-02-03
30th Dec Tues
Sunny day. Work our way slowly out of town. Usual lack of signs meant lots of asking. We hate to see all the rubbish on the way out just as there had been on the way in. As we have gone further north in Peru , the rubbish beside the road has got worse. Piura is pretty bad. Rubbish is dumped by any road and then blows in the wind all over the countryside. Plastic bags hang from scrub in the desert. Its a problem just as bad as seeing the rubbish from Barranca being pushed into the sea.
The rice and sugarcane growing give way to very dry small trees and bushes. It looks like a drought but maybe this is how it looks before the rains. Nice road, not too much traffic and vegetation becomes more tropical as we climb up into the hills on the border with Ecuador at ? Border not at all busy and we do the usual form filling for ourselves and bikes. In to Ecuador and the town of ? To change money. There on a central square were 4 or 5 scruffy men with briefcases! We had too much Peru money so had to change it. USA dollars for Ecuador .
Try and do 190kms but fall short. Couple or so of reasons . One, the road is twisty. We are back in the Andes again...not so high but still mountains! Green clad, pretty, some wandering animals .We climb a pass of about 2000m and end up in fog and 12c. We are nearly on the equator and in the tropics and have wet fog and cold! However back down and its soon warm again. Clive then loses a bottle of water off his bike. I notice and go back. As I u turn I blow it and go off the edge of the road down a soily/gravel embankment. Bike goes over downwards and I hop off unscathed. Poor bike looked okay. Problem was Clive was up the road waiting. Standing by the road I was soon surrounded by helpers...someone must have seen. Lots of men and soon the bike was back up the bank. I seriously tried to take a photo but my camera would not work..it has been tempermental since the dust storm in Argentina...the lens would not focus. Just as I was putting panniers back on Clive turned up. The only damage is a break in the pannier frame; hope to get that welded tomorrow am.
Consequently we stopped in Catamayo.; not a very distinquished town and first feel is not so different to Peru; but no Tuktuks. I like tuktuks and fancy one in Norfolk!
31st Dec Wed
Up before 8am to find `soldaro` to weld the pannier frame. Not far, just round the corner, we find a place. Tiny `shop` and young man ready to do it. Half an hour later all done and we are having breakfast.
Heading for Cuenco...the road is twisty, runs in the mountains and has some surface problems.! We go up, and we go down, and up and down and more. We avoid or not avoid potholes, we go up and down the concrete surface avoiding the reinforcing rods sticking out. We cope with speeding drivers and manage average 25 mph ourselves! Its quite hard work but better than dirt! Stunning views as we reach the heights...today about 3000m! Old ladies dressed in hats, some with plaits, some with ponytails, generally in black skirts and long. Other ladies in shorter more colourful skirts. Many have dirty skirts. Grass clad hillsides with some cattle grazing but nowhere as utilised as they would have been in Peru.
Horses are a means of transport, saddled up, and used by men and women; but many own cars and mopeds. American influence very evident for the first time....Chevrolet pick ups instead of Toyota and petrol pumps in gallons. National currency is usa dollars.
New years Eve and we notice more and more scarecrow like figures...in gardens, on truck grilles, on pick up roofs etc. We had started noticing a few figures in northern Peru. Well dressed up and with masks. As we progress through the day we are `held up` by more and more masked young people. They are raising money (for what?). As we enter Cuenco there are more and more. Its all fun apparently, non religious. Later effigies are burnt, quite early in the evening.
We have a meal in a restaurant right next to the cathedral in the main square in an old building. It has a nice atmosphere. As midnight approaches there are more and more fireworks going off but no big gathering of people.
We are hoping to have a couple of days off on the coast. I like Cuenco but everything is going to be shut on New Years day so not much point in being here.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
1st Jan ThursI
f you wonder how we remain a tiny bit fit ,it is because we cart nearly all our belongings off our bikes every night and back every morning. I have a very heavy bag on the seat. It contains guides , maps, spare chain, spare sprocket and other heavy things. For security ,it has to come in. Inevitably we get given hotel rooms on the top floor...! Last night the hotel had a lift BUT the bikes had to go to a car park one street away. What with the one way system it was easier to carry everything to the bikes this morning. We are fit you see!!
Having done that, off we go again. Cuenca was waking up this holiday morning. We think there were going to be processions. We saw a band preparing. Pickups full of people are piling into town. Pickups are popular as people carriers, as are little old wooden trucks. More exciting road surface and more up and down. Lots of older ladies in their brightest and prettiest skirts, shirts , hats and shawls. Grannies in luminous pink,bright purple ,bright red etc. I couldn`t take photos from the bike as it was drizzling and if we asked them, they refused. Then my camera battery ran out!
We went and wandered round Ingapirca, Ecuador`s best inca ruin. Not that great...but lots of locals having a day out at the ruins. Everyone in their best clothes. Leaving there we went through several villages in the mts that were doing something communial for the holiday. Large barbecues, get togethers and even a kind of rodeo thing. All these amazing older ladies!
Finally we head down out of the mts towards Guayaquil. We are an amazing 3500m up still. Down we go. First it is dense fog (very difficult riding as could only see a short way and road surface not to be trusted) and cold, 8c, then at about 2000m , the fog clears and things warm up. Getting more tropical by the minute. But the road surface which has been predominantly tarmac with dirt bits becomes dirt with tarmac bits! All very interesting. Rock slides haven`t helped the poor road builders.
It was slow going but we get down. Then rainstorms threaten as we make better progress. We don`t want to go into enormous Guayaquil. But do not manage to go smoothly round it either! An absence of road signs means asking and asking and asking. If they don`t know they still wave an arm in some direction!
We end up late looking for an hotel. Find one in Daule. Seemed shut but a local helps get it alive. Clive sees in the register that it has had no guests for 3 weeks! Looking for a restaurant later we have to settle for a soup kitchen on the pavement. Its fine and friendly with rather tipsy clients after a day`s holiday. We, however, cannot find even a beer at this late 8.15pm hour. A large plate of food and 4 Coca Colas cost $3. We walk back through dirty streets. Its sort of asian in feel , sort of india without the wandering animals in the street.
2nd Jan Fri
Day begins with me noticing a nail sticking out of my back tyre! We leave it in (its on the side) and go straight to a tyre place. Pull it out there and some air comes out so off with the wheel. However the tube is okay..must have pierced the tyre but not the tube. Small amount of air between tube and tyre? Better safe than sorry I guess.
Its hot as we finally leave town. First of all its flat but then becomes hilly. Its very dry in the hills with plenty of evidence of fires. Obviously longing for the rains. Pretty Flame trees in full flower, a few Jacaranda and others. Some nice mature trees amongst the dry grass or scrub. Road surface gets worse again with potholes. Luckily traffic not too bad as we wend our way between the holes. Some are big enough to do damage!
Horses being ridden, horses eating the verges along with some donkeys. One bunch of cows wandered a towns streets and later some goats . Dogs, as ever, rush out to grab our feet (if they could).
Manta on the sea finally emerges from the hills. Its big and looks industrial to start with. Big fishing harbour with lots of fishing boats. We are searching for a certain hotel. Clive has swopped his timeshare for some days here. Trouble is we have arrived early and are not here on the right dates. But we are hoping they have some space. However we are to be disappointed, the place is full tonight (there is space tomorrow night ).
Having wanted to spoil ourselves by the beach we now find it very difficult to find somewhere else. Even the very best hotel in town is full. Finally opt for a bit of faded grandeur with musty room but on the beach as such. Watch Pelicans in the sea and what I think are long tailed Boobys flying by. The beach to the right looks like Blackpool on a busy day. Boats towing bananas are hard at work tipping their passengers off. We have a birds eye view of it all from our faded glory spot.
Later we console ourselves with a drink in the bar of the 5 star hotel down the road.
3rd Jan Sat
We do move on but only do 2 1/2 hours. I spent the morning researching things on a very slow internet, trying to dry my slightly cleaner motorcycle trousers in the humid cloudy conditions, and finally taking a walk on the beach to photograph the pelicans diving into the sea. The sea was lovely and warm...for the first time. In Huanchaco (last time by the sea) it was cold. I began to warm to this place..the beach was good and the hotel was in a good position.
However we have to get to Quito in time for Monday morning service at BMW. Our bikes are now in need. Mine has a rocker cover oil leak(been slowly getting worse),and a sump plug leak (washer?). It needs brake pads, new headlight bulb and its chain/sprockets replacing. Clive`s needs his throttle cable routing checked (we did not get it back properly when we took tank off) , back mudguard (rattled off) and his brakes checked.
We end up on a B road. Its tarmac ,bumpy and scenic. My camera is still playing up so do not get photos I want. Going to have to do something about it in Quito. Lovely bright red flame trees, wooden housing on stilts, interesting landscape etc.
We have had trouble getting tea in Ecuador. They do not go in for tea particularly . Coffee is brought black to the table. Milk is difficult to buy, even longlife. We buy water to drink in our little brew ups in our hotel rooms as we do not trust local tap water,even boiled.
Reach Chone on the road to Quito. Find a suitable hotel after a while. Step into air conditioned reception. If they only knew that I had sweat coursing down my back and that my trouserlining was stuck to my legs with perspiration. Once we stop we get very hot in the motorbike kit. But would never not wear it.....
Go out to eat and opt for a chinese meal instead of a chicken barbecued on the pavement. As usual we eat in sole splendour being the only clients. This has happened to us a fair amount, not only here but in Peru,if we opt for a `proper` restaurant . Many of the pavement eating spots are very dirty! Too dirty!
4th Jan Sun
Here we are in Folklore Hostal in Quito. Its a typical hostal with broken tiles, dodgy electricity, unpredictable hot water etc. Computer works like a snail. Wifi great though. We walked to `New Town` Quito and ate in a very trendy place called Q Club. Could have been London except that everyone has eaten early and the streets are deserted and the restaurant was emptying by 8.30pm. Very strange when we think back to Argentina where we were waiting for the restaurants to OPEN at 8.30pm!
Day began with a bit of a hiccup...the power was off. This meant we could not leave our garage...electric gate! We had got up especially early to be off by 8am so that we could climb up the mountain road to Quito before the afternoon fog. `One hour` says the girl on reception. In fact we only waited about 15 mins.
Road was bit varied to start with but improved to good concrete. Quito man and family were heading back from the coast in their toyota landcruisers and the like. We all enjoyed the fast swooping road through low tropical hills. Wooden houses on stilts and more modern brick, but still on stilts/pillars. Many sellers of fruit/veg beside the road. These people cannot afford the cars we are following.We had a good breakfast finally. Asked for eggs and got them plus some strange looking blob...it was melted cheese and coconut...went well with the eggs. After that, it was a real motorcycling road....a busy pass up to just over 3000m. Slow trucks, nasty buses and fast and slow cars. But a road with plenty of bends that made it easier for motorcycles and not cars. `A road that we can do` says Clive.
Quito lies in a valley like La Paz but seems much less frenetic and more spread out. It has a lovely spanish old town which we went through. We opted for an hotel further out ready for our trip to BMW service.
I have made no mention of `sleeping policeman`. They plague every town and village in South America. Some can be remarkably big. Every lorry and bus has to go very slowly over them so we use them for overtaking on ! Only slowly, but double the speed of the bus/truck. We are quicker than cars too! Today, when it was very busy,the `sleeping policeman` caused quite a few hold ups. They are one of the reasons why large expensive pickups/landcruisers are popular...low cars have problems going over the `policemen`.
5th Jan Mon
We got bikes to the BMW place and left them till tomorrow! We had thought they could be done by this afternoon. So...off we went shopping etc. Clive tried to find a person to mend/explain why his phone has gone faulty. It ended up worse and now will not work at all. The spare phone I brought will not find a network, so Clive is not happy. I, in the meantime bought another camera as I was getting very frustrated at the unreliability of mine. Clive got a haircut whilst my hair gets longer! Saw more of Quito; its a pleasant place.
6th Dec Tues
Still hanging around for the bikes. Cannot work out how they can spend so long. Mine had a faulty bolt on the rocker cover causing the slight oil leak. How long does that take to replace!
We found ourselves in an `artisanal pasejego` where they were selling the usual country stuff. Not pushy. The ladies here have straight longer skirts, same kind of hat, plaits and gold coloured multi stranded necklaces. The men have one long plait and hats. It suits them all with their long black straight hair so unlike mine! I saw one man, with hat and plait, knitting!
We then went back to hotel, collected our stuff and taxied to the BMW place. They now had had plenty of time to do the servicing. Hopeless ! My chain was done but otherwise the bike was in bits to expose the rocker cover where apparently one of the 4 bolts holding it was faulty. However it seems to have taken hours to replace this bolt.! The one mechanic was hopelessly toiling away. Clive`s bike was in the middle of an oil change but no more. We were wanting to leave Quito and this place had had our bikes for 2 days and got nowhere fast. With bikes still in bits , we started to help....all against the rules in europe! In this way we got the bikes back together and out about 1 hour after they normally stopped work. Otherwise we would still be there tomorrow afternoon! My bike did not get oil change nor new spark plugs etc. Clives bike did get oil change but not the renewing of brake fluid that was needed.There were a large amount of staff floating around the office area doing nothing whilst this one , albeit very concientious mechanic, working away with too much to do.
We had booked into a place 70kms away. A hacienda where Nick Sanders stayed on his last trip. Sounded interesting. We are on the equator. Some debate here as to exactly where it is. Modern GPS has moved it! This hacienda claims it is 240m away. We have arrived after dark so do not know quite what we have. Its old , 500 years, built of mud , one metre thick walls, and interesting. www.guachala.com . Our room is big with very high ceiling , 20ft?
7th Jan Wed
The owner of the hacienda was giving an historical talk in the diningroom when we went to eat last night. He reminded me of Robin Combe. The hacienda was built in 1580 and required 10,000 cubic metres of mud. It has survived several earthquakes very well. This morning we looked at some old photos as we walked around. One showed sheep shearing. Apparently the ladies caught the sheep ,with their babies strapped to their backs, and hauled them to the male shearers. No mean feat.So after a walk around we set off in pleasant weather for the Ecuadorian/Colombian border. We went through very scenic countryside. Some parts being farmed intensively with roses and other cut flowers for the North American market: just as Kenya was doing,at the same latitude in Africa, for the European market. There was also a lot of sugarcane being grown.
We reached the border in good time, at 2.30pm. We were still there at 7pm! Apparently it is the end of the Colombian hols. There were more people coming in to Ecuador than going out. But that said there were lots of people going both ways. To get out of Ecuador we had to:
1.show a piece of paper for the bike and after a stamp and entering details on the computer, that was that.
2.show our passports and a bit of paper for ourselves and get the passport stamped and details entered on the computer.
Both entry and exit peoples had to go through the same room.There seemed to be one queue (4 to 6 hours wait) only but after a while we discovered the `exit` queue on the other side. This was shorter. People cheated of course in spite of a big black man controlling the door. It all went painfully slowly. We stood and queued for 2.5 hours there. Then off to the Colombian bit. There, there really was just one queue. More cheats here and the queue moved painfully slowly. We were still there when it got dark. People in the queue were very stoic and friendly.
There is only one road from Ecuador to Colombia so hence its nearly always busy. The whole system on both sides could have been run much more efficiently!Very tired and fed up we rode the short distance to Ipiales in the dark and torrential rain ( never ride in the dark in Colombia!)and stayed in an hotel recommended by someone in the queue .
8th Jan Thurs
They never told us on the border, but we had learnt from others ,that we had to wear a reflective vest with the registration number of the bike on the front and the back. Thus after breakfast we set off on foot to find some. Soon enlisted a taxi and after much driving around town with the nice taxi driver we eventually tracked down 2 suitable reflective `vests`. Then off to a little shop that very efficiently produced stick on lettering of our reg.numbers. I think the taxi driver rather enjoyed the chase around town...bit of a different start to his day. No doubt he made more than usual out of us too....though he did not try and rip us off horribly.
10.45am and we have 200 miles to Popayan to do before dark at 6.30pm. In the whole day we did not do more than 10 miles on a straight bit of road. I started to count the descents and ascents but lost count after 4 of each. It was another real motorbiking day. We coped with temp change from 13c to 34c, sun, cloud and downpours. Wearing our waterproofs in 30c plus is no joke but the threat of rain was there all day. Clive took his waterproof jacket off at one point ,to have to put it back on 5 mins later. Since the road twisted so much you could not work out whether `that` black cloud was going to get you or not.
At one point there really were a lot of soldiers around. Sneakily hiding under trees etc and in checkpoints. In our smart reflective tops we were not stopped. We read that there is a lot of guerilla activity in that area...the soldiers were hopefully looking after us.!
The scenery is spectacular . Green mountains, deep valleys and gorges, lush tropical vegetation , grassy fields, trees etc. Not many wide flat valleys! The rain spoilt it a bit but we have been lucky. Even though this was the most rain since Chile it was not too intensly tropical. In the rain we came across the first accident we have gone past on the trip. Say no more..... The road traffic consisted of slow lorries (some modern, some very ancient) a few cars and lots of 125cc motorbikes. These local riders wear plastic ponchos in the rain which makes for lots of flapping!
It seems to me that there are lots of small motorbikes here whilst in Ecuador they had more old cars and fewer motorbikes. Clive thinks Ecuador is more prosperous...I think I disagree. So far (one day) this country seems to have better housing and more schools. Rubbish seems less, neater towns.
Saw butterflies for the first time on the trip . I had thought I was going to see many more. Tropical birds have been a disappointment too. Plenty of birds of prey and vultures though.We get to Popayan at 5.45pm after a long hard but good ride. This town has fine old centre and seemed very placid until we went to bed when music started throbbing from somewhere nearby! On the pavement I think. I am rather enjoying it but Clive is suffering.... But I soon stop enjoying it as it continues, very loudly till 3am, to be followed by people laughing, talking, and shouting ,in the street below our window!
9th Jan Fri
Clive´´s birthday
We discover that the music is a disco that happens 3 times a week! Definitely bad enough not to repeat book. Friendly hotel man gets told by Clive to put double glazing in! Quick walk round looking for an ATM machine ( 3rd attempt succeeds) and then off we go.
The first hour takes us down out of the mountains to Cali, city of beautiful women apparently and centre of sugarcane growing. The road becomes dual carriageway perhaps to cope with the very long ...4/5 trailer road trains carrying sugarcane to the factories. They are a very long thing to overtake . The road is not always duel and the traffic becomes frustrated by the slow trucks. We make good time!
Every now and then there is a peage. There have been peages all the way up the panamerican even though it has usually been a normal main road,ie not motorway. In Chile we had to pay but apart from northern Ecuador we have not paid since. We go through a narrow way, primarily designed for mopeds. If we can ride through we are free! Sugarcane valley ran from Cali to the turn off for Pereira. It is a big wide valley but with a few hills in it. Very scenic. It gets even prettier after as we head for Anserma, a hill top town. We hope there is an hotel. There is, but we attract a bit of attention here and we are fearful for the bikes. They are in a garage, guarded, but we have removed all panniers and extras including straps. Garage man was keen we did so.
Clive`s birthday so we try and find special restaurant! Its very difficult! We buy a bottle of sparkling wine in the supermarket and bring it with us. The restaurants do not mind. Several times we have not been able to have wine in restaurants. Clive has best steak for some time so that`s good.Back at the hotel the stairs have a grill across them that is locked behind us. What happens in case of fire?
10th Jan Sat
We are in Yarumal, a most unlikely place to stop but ever since the delay on the border we have been out of step with the main towns. It is a very lively spot. Hotel is on the main square and just to our right is where its all happening. 6 bars within yards of each other are each pumping out a different song as loud as their speakers will go. If you stand in the middle its a nightmare. In the middle though is where the street vendors are selling hot food! Young and old are milling around, motorbikes are zooming backwards and forwards (two up,no crash helmets, no reflective vests) and dogs are picking up the scraps. We manage to sit on a bar balcony listening to one sound system (far to loud) and surveying the scene below. We had bought our food from one of the vendors. No wine to be had, though beer / spirits are. All this outdoor activity in 15c and 2800m high. Absolutely buzzing, the Colombians appear to party nightly.!!
We began the day a bit lower, 1700m and a bit warmer! We first checked the bikes were there and okay. They were. An early start as Clive couldn`t sleep! It begins with intense bends on a road very prone to landslides! Spy one lorry down a ravine...didn`t quite make it. Not too bad traffic until we get closer to Medellin; then its plenty of slow trucks and mopeds/bikes. Traffic coming towards us mostly.... Weekenders heading for the hills. Beautiful green scenery, especially in a valley beside a river, which was rushing its way down. Truckers were using the water to wash their huge smart trucks.
Get through Medellin and then take wrong road for a bit. Signs are a bit erratic...sometimes good and sometimes non existent. It rains a bit, we climb yet again to over 2000m (2800m this time and 2500m earlier on). Traffic is fairly heavy. Very slow trucks, some cars and loads of small motorbikes. Crash helmets seem to be the law, along with the vest. Many are two up and loaded as though on a journey. Colombia has the most motorbikes of any country so far. Unfortunately there seem to be many accidents..we saw 2 involving bikes today.The very large trucks going very slowly,cars and mopeds on a twisting pass is not a very good receipe. We take care especially in the rain. As we near Yarumal we see more and more soldiers on duty by the road. We wanted to get to the next town and out of the mountains but we ran out of time before dark. This was our penultimate day in the Andes, we think.
The bikes are in an underground garage tonight. We have left some panniers on. The hotel seems more relaxed about security. I hope we are right. We have experienced too loud music in nearly every country. Not competing like here, but just too loud for the room, as though everyone is totally deaf. When shown hotel rooms, the tele ( if there is one ) will be turned on for you...always too loud. As we go to sleep we can hear the music from the bars getting louder and louder. Will we sleep?
11th Jan Sun
The music stopped at 2am! Bikes and panniers okay. A small crowd of poor boys gather round us as we get ready. First time that we have had attention in this way. Clive and I keep discussing whether Colombia is poorer than Ecuador or vice a versa. Certainly there are poor here as we see when we set off into the mountains again. This is almost the end of the Andes. We have one more `pass` and then it is down ,down, down. At the top there are several groups/families living by the road in makeshift (plastic sheeting) homes. All stand by the road begging. We don`t see any trucks/cars throw them any money. They are at least still in the countryside rather than in the slums of a large city. Why don`t they make and sell something? Or keep cows/grow veg? These hillsides are lush with grass and trees. Later we go through a village that has several soldiers standing around as well as a whole load of men with their horses that they had just ridden in on. Horses and mules are still being used as a main means of transport around here.
Cows/cattle of the `indian` kind do dot the hill sides. I think if this were Peru there would be much more use of the land. Instead, here there is grass going to waste.
Out of the mountains and down into the hot and humid plain. We follow a full and muddy river. It is `truckwash` valley. Hosepipes, gushing fountains of water, are ready for truckers to pull in and start using. Since it is Sunday many are cleaning and washing away....great big american `Kenilworth` trucks and others. Plenty of houses along here too. Traffic is quite heavy but easier now we have a straighter road.
Leaving the river and heading for Cartagena we are in cattle ranching country. Large haciendas dot the rolling countryside with their herds of cattle and the horses needed to work them . By a bridge that crosses the river live some less privleged people in very squalid homes, making a bit from fishing and selling fruit.
Pushing on towards Cartagena the rolling green countryside with its biggish trees looks pretty. But not much being grown...just cattle grazing. Spare grass.... As the soldiers by the road clock off we have to stop and so reach El Carmen. Its anoher of Clive`s `dump` towns but we are kindly lead to an hotel. In the evening food is again from street vendors but this time the bars are further apart!
12th Jan Mon
We have about 65 miles to Cartagena. Frequent villages, the poorer ones with rubbish around . Colombia has been really quite good on rubbish . In between villages there are ranching haciendas . The countryside has rolling hills, grass and scattered trees. Various bits of water where pure white herons and smaller egrets wait. Some egrets accompany the cattle. At one point there is a very swampy bit. Poor housing and people trying to live by the water and catch fish? Cartagena has old city walls and a very solid fort. Old city streets and various large old buildings. Its very hot as we head to a backpackers place which might help with info on the elusive ferry that the mexican told us about. We find it in a narrrow street . Also find another biker who has booked on to a yacht , 37ft. As we have a drink the yacht owner finds us (news travels fast). He is keen to take us too. But we do not want to spend days getting to Panama on a yacht via the San Blast islands!
The backpackers hotel is full and the next one is expensive and grotty. We decide to move on now to Barranquilla, the bigger more commercial town, also with an airport. Flying looks the likely option.
2 hours later and we are there, coming in past the docks. All looks shut. We find out its a religious holiday; something we had not noticed in touristy Cartagena . We ask more about the elusive ferry but think its a dead duck. Book into a good hotel to celebrate reaching the top of South America. It has a nice swimming pool and we have a good bottle of Argentine wine (rio de Plato 2005 torrentes chardonnay). As we turned up at this hotel ,the look of disbelief on the doorman`s face was all evident. ``how could those dirty bikers think of staying here``. Well we can, and deserve it !
Favourite Colombian road sign "Peligro Zona Inadmisable"It translates as `dangerous zone inadmissable` it means a very bad patch on the road as in part of the road has collapsed and fallen down the hillside!
I also like "peligro zona derumbles`it means ` danger falling rocks`
13th Jan Tues
A day of decisions and a day of rest. We had begun making enquiries yesterday as to how to get to Panama . Today we continued. The ferry trail led to a blank. Given we did not fancy a trip on a yacht with our bikes, nor a cargo boat that might be carrying drugs as well, it left flying. Clive followed the flying trail which seemed to lead to the bikes going via Bogota (something we had not reckoned on). This sounds like several days. In the meantime Clive has suggested to me that maybe going to Venezuela and shipping straight home from there might be an idea. Going to Panama and then shipping only 2 or 3 weeks later from Mexico or US was going to be an expensive option. The Venezuela idea is growing on us and to that end I spent the day emailing shipping agents around Caracas. It is possible apparently!
Unfortunately this hotel is the only hotel in all the hotels we have been in, that does not have free Wifi. Maybe the cheaper the hotel the better the Wifi! A great many hotels have free internet too....not this one! Perhaps they have to charge for the internet to pay for the swimming pool....it is a nice one!
If no emails to the contrary we are off to Venezuela next.
14th Jan Wed
I write this sitting on another border! This time its even more interesting. We are having to sleep here! In a dusty filthy bit of a hut (it has two sides and a roof. The dust from the lorries passing by is blown over this way. On the other side is some smart area with bits of grass but we are not allowed. We have eaten some piece of meat and a plantian cooked over a tin drum by a nice venezuelan lady. Pepsi Cola to drink. Last night 5 star, tonight no stars except in the sky above.We got out of Colombia no problem and ourselves stamped in to Venezula no problem. But big ` no` on the bikes...go back to Colombia they said. `No` says we politely,`its not possible, no hotel, no money` After half an hour, whilst I looked as doleful as possible, they said go to the customs 6 kms down the road. Great , but when we got there it was shut. It is run by civilians who go home at 5pm (we had reached the border at 4pm but that was 5pm Venezula time) whilst the border is run by the military and is open 24hrs. No hotels in this place and they will not let us go down the road and come back in the morning. Its hot, dark and dusty/dirty. Clive is making a cup of tea....the best thing to do in a crisis.
The road between Barranquilla and here was fine . Pretty and tropical by the sea until it looked much drier with smaller trees, dense shrubs and cactii. It all looked very spiky and prickly. Animals roamed the roadside here(donkeys, cows,horses and goats) and no houses were to be seen. They were further into the prickly bushes...you could see sandy tracks.Women now dressed in long shift like dresses...not exactly beautiful but practical for the climate. We did not get stopped by any police or soldiers. Our reflective bibs did the job. There were a lot of soldiers on the route today until the last 50 miles or so. Colombian border pretty chaotic and something was up because a truck was blocking the way. We got past of course until we got the `No`. However we are now 6kms into Venezuela and hopefully will be successful tomorrow.
15th Jan Thurs
We slept a bit on the concrete floor on our one mat and sleeping bags. At 3am Clive woke and made a cup of tea. We sat there watching many enormous and very old american cars head towards the border. This morning we are watching them come back full of passengers. A taxi service! Huge petrol guzzling engines but we think fuel is cheaper here...its an oil producing country.
The customs people in their smart office arrived sometime around 8am but we were not allowed in until 10am. The desk dealing with tourists vehicles operated from 9.30am till 4.00pm apparently. 5.5 hours(lunch 1 hr ) out of the 24 hours that the border is open. We had become slightly worried after chatting to a Colombian that we would need various photocopies of things we did not have like a pencil rubbing of the chassis number ( as in Egypt). In the event it all went fine and was very similar to other South American countries. Off we went ,finally ,into Venezuela at 11am having arrived at 5pm yesterday.
.Both of us were short of petrol, myself especially. Found petrol station with a large queue of the enormous American cars. I tried to join the queue but found it very hard to distinquish between those in the queue, and parked wrecks by the roadside! Found a gap ...it was all on wasteground . Soldiers were by the pumps to keep the peace. Not at all sure why there was a queue. Just guess the price...2p a litre!! Bottled water costs 75p a litre. This country is reminding us both of Libya. Cheap petrol, rubbish outside villages,expensive poor hotels and hot etc. We saw other petrol stations with queues....do not know why.
Finally set off down a badly potholed tarmac road with sea lagoons on either side. Pelicans, herons etc on the water but we have lots of rubbish beside the road. Messy looking. It does improve and we make our way to Maracaibo, a large oil boom town. We want to stop..its very hot (35c) and humid and we are tired! But hotels prove elusive and directions even worse. We decide on small town nearby and ask for Santa Rica. We are sent backwards and forwards and round in circles. We drip with sweat. Lack of large scale map did not help...if we had one we would have realised we needed to go over a huge long bridge....very impressive. Once there we had more trouble and kept being recommended to `love motels` where you check in for a number of hours!! Venezuela is not giving us the impression of being the most economically advanced of all south american countries. It also feels quite socialist (which it is). Friendly people though and curious about us. VERY cheap petrol, but food and hotel a bit like Colombia in price.
16th Jan Fri
Up quite early and off along a wide road. Its dualled but quite casually so ....bad surface in parts too. The verge is overgrown unless its been burnt (which looks horrible). Rubbish is strewn along near any housing. Dead dogs that have been killed on the road are more evident here than any other country we have been through. I cannot believe that Venezuelan dogs are more stupid and get killed more...I think that in the other countries they are tidied away from the road whereas here they seem to be left to completely decay. Strangely, we are seeing less wandering dogs here than in other countries . ...more dead than alive!
The bane of our lives this morning are sleeping policeman. On this wide road we can be going along quite happily when you notice a heap of traffic . Everything has to slow right down for a sleeping policeman going right across all 4 lanes. And then another in 50 yds, and another in another 50 yds etc. The trucks virtually stop, buses too; cars are quicker and we are the quickest. Nevertheless we have to change down (gears) to 2nd gear, apply brakes probably ,over the bump, back up then down again for next bump, brake, etc. We think some small villages build bumps so that they can sell food/drinks more easily to passing traffic. They stand on the bumps in the middle of the road.
We head into some hills (another final finger of the Andes) so its a wee bit cooler. The countryside is rather dull...its all the same kind of green/brown .Scrubby trees, some grass, not cultivated very much. Not long ago only 4% of Venezuelan land was cropped! At one point loose/wild goats graze on the rubbish beside our busy road.We stop at a nice looking café restaurant . We are searching for someone willing to buy our dollars.
The "parallel mkt" in money changing. One gets a rather better deal here that way. We manage a shandy, a caramel pudding and the money deal before setting off again.Find hotel in Barquisimeto, but they will not do any bargaining on the price (which does not include internet nor breakfast). They were so steely that we gave up and tried another with better success. Hotels are more expensive here than Colombia, even at our special exchange rate.!
17th Jan Sat
Off we go to Valencia to see one of the shipping agents that we have been in touch with. The other agent is in Caracas (Maquieta) and is not open over the weekend. We have about 120 miles to do. The road is pretty good. A rather dodgy duel carriageway. It takes us through more hills. More traffic on the road, but it is more courteous than many of the countries we have been through. Hardly anyone has a moped or motorbike..so more cars per head of population I suppose. We hear later that cars are encouraged by being relatively cheap. I saw some households, still living in a very basic mud walled house, but with a very ancient vast american car in the front along with the chickens and a cow!
As we near Valencia, a large town, things become more affluent. There is no doubt a large gap here between the haves and the have nots. Chavez has been in power for 10 years . I wonder what it was like before.
We eventually find the agent. Nucellis and Miguel . Nucellis is the boss but Miguel is fluent in English. It looks like we will have to have a container to ourselves for the bikes. All is possible but the price has to be further thrashed out. We will see the other agent on Monday.We ask Nucellis and Miguel about a hotel. They kindly take us to two but too much money. Nucellis keeps inviting us to stay in her mother`s house which is empty for the night. Clive is reluctant but she is very keen to be hospitable. So we follow them there. Its in a private estate with a guard and security wall. Venezuelan neighbours all in their gardens and backyards and enjoying themselves. We have a quick swim in a communal pool set in grass while Nucellis and Miguel go off and buy drink and food for a barbecue . This is all at their expense...they insist. We have a very enjoyable evening talking to them both (and a friend) about Venezuela etc. They then go and leave us with the run of the house. It was very kind and very hospitable.
18th Jan Sun
We make use of the laptop which has been left for us to use and check emails. We then pack and go after leaving keys with a neighbour. Thank you Nucellis, very much.We head off for Caracas and Maiquetia. Dual carriageway,heavy with weekend traffic, including a whole load of taxis gathering to demonstrate about something. When the traffic slowed down or got particularly heavy, the locals would then take to the hardshoulder and overtake on the inside track! If an obstacle like a broken down car blocked their route they would just force a fast passage back. Soon we were joining in on this practice! As in all countries you have to follow local practice...for instance no one in the whole of South America (it seems) obeys double white lines. Nor have we!
We are lucky with the traffic and steam through Caracas with little problem. It is yet another capital lying in a valley with houses up on the hills on either side. Clive reckons that these are some of the worst slums he has seen. I think Lima was much worse and that these are at least built of brick. The coast is cut off from Caracas by a very high ridge (around 2000m) and the road goes through a number of tunnels. 10 years ago there were terrible landslides here ,brought about by torrential rain ,which killed over 50,000 people and wiped out several beach resorts.We eventually find an hotel in Maputo. The first hotel we tried wanted $338 per night.! We find something more reasonable.
19th Jan Mon
We have some difficulty (again!) in finding the agents office and arrive mid morning. Price is better possibly but they come up with some horrific bureaucracy problems that could take 3 weeks! We think it would be a good idea if we went to customs with them the following day to see if we can overcome the worst of the problems. We follow some other leads .Our hotel has a nice restaurant but rather expensive. We are beginning to realise that it must be used by people using black market rates...otherwise its prices are ridiculous. Icecream costing $8.50? With a little bit of cunning this can become $4. Waiters very obliging ! Venezuelans have exchange control which used to restrict them to taking/spending $5000 abroad. A few months ago it went down to $2500. Thus all who can try and get hold of dollars creating a thriving black market for dollars. The country also imports virtually everything : oil is the export. Corruption is rife.
20th Jan Tues
This morning we are at the agent at 9am . Main purpose to go to customs to try and sort out the biggest hurdle...a letter that is apparently needed from the border we went through to say that we did indeed go through there with the motorbikes . The letter could take 3 weeks to write and get delivered. Our incredulity is based on the fact that we have an official piece of paper from the very border with all the bike details on it and all signed and stamped. We ALSO have another stamp in the passport with bike details on it. So do we need a third piece of evidence.? Luckily for us the visit to customs was fruitful and it seems we can get by without this letter. We do however have to wait 3 days for an exit letter to be forth coming. We then explore the option of flying the bikes and do end up with an interesting quote with Air France. Honour dictates we stick with the shipper...hope behaving properly brings rewards.
Chatting with the agent..a lady...she tells me how dangerous the border we crossed is! Also that Bogota (Colombia) has had only 19 killings this month compared with Caracas(Venezuela) with over 250 killings this month! She also said that inspite of imports they have had a 5 month milk shortage and that there is currently a sugar shortage (though they do grow some sugarcane.)Our hotel is about 5kms from the agent. Its is a dual carriageway and is jammed with traffic nearly all day. The port here is so busy with imports. We have had to fight our way through the traffic in the heat.We have decided that breakfast was not worth the charge so yesterday we bought porrige oats and powdered milk( all there was) and made porrige for breakfast this morning on our little stove.Late in the day we got the booking from the shipping line and also instructions to ride to Caracas in the morning to the packers so that they can measure the bikes for making the crates. They are in some industrial estate!
21st Jan Wed
Off we go to the packers in Caracas armed with a vague internet map. We make it in one. They are amazed! Straight through Caracas on the autopista!. Shady/dodgy spot but proper packers. Measurements taken, phone calls made, and then head back to our hotel.Clean bikes, swim, internet. Its all rather frustrating. Friendly and helpful venezuelians, but there are no go areas...for instance at the packers we said we wanted a drink..where can we buy a drink? We had noticed some street sellers but `no` they were too dangerous and `no` we could not go somewhere else. On our way back there was a traffic jam because some electricity cables were dangling across the road. Each vehicle had to have them lifted to get under or by them!Tomorrow its another office visit first thing.
22nd Jan Thurs
The visit to the office gives us a shock. The packaging fee is $4000 not $400!! This is out of the question. We had seen the estimate the day before but had read it wrong Bolivars are sometimes referred to as 100 or as 10 . It can be confusing.....nor would one dream that it could be $4000. So a change of tack to air freight. This time the foreseen problems are `the skids`(pallets) and the airfreight letter from customs. Our other problem is the weekend is looming and ``venezuelans do not work at the weekend``. Thus it looks like we are here for a whole lot more days.`Here` is not very interesting. We are by the sea but there is no beach. Its hot and sunny but we cannot sunbathe for long as sun much too strong. There is a small pool but 2 strokes and you are the other end! The road is full of dirty traffic. Round the corner are broken houses, dirty shops, broken pavements and rubbish. Because of the danger element we cannot go for a walk in the lovely looking rain forest above us on the steep hillside. We set off today after the office visit to go to a town inland but Clive felt a tummy bug coming on and wanted to go back to the hotel. I did not feel it was sensible for me to carry on alone...thus we are getting more and more bored and frustrated.
I managed to get Skype to download onto the hotel computer and got our cheap little headset working so could make phone calls if needed. Back to office in the late pm and back again tomorrow. Clive still not great by evening and can`t manage evening meal .
23rd Jan Fri
Midday office meet. So far so good but packer quote still outstanding. Certain optimism that it will be bearable but not cheap. We hear that there are large demos in Caracas today against the government..students are getting excited. Vote in mid Feb is for/against allowing Chavez to stay in office indefinately (in effect).
I investigate, on my bike, the eastern end of this place, Maputo, and discover that it does have a beach and a few more hotels. Clive is gradually coming back to life and in the afternoon we go back to this beach and I swim and Clive watches! The last news of the day is the packers quote...its bearable. Meet Monday morning at 9am to pay monies and then to Air France at 10am. Will it all happen??I had to phone Karin late this afternoon to get the news re the packers because the telephone line for the internet at the hotel failed. It was still not working 5 hours later. This did not seem that abnormal.
We ate here in the hotel tonight ( some nights we have tried elsewhere).Friday night sees the return of the weekenders and the restaurant is throbbing. The waiters are dashing around and we have plenty to watch. There is a singer singing her stuff and the appreciative male audience claps the good songs. The females are nearly all in tight jeans (whatever the size of the backside) and a tight low teeshirt top. South american females are not figure consciencious at all as far as I can see. On the beach this afternoon there were some ladies in thong bikinis that perhaps shouldn`t have been. In this restaurant there are many who should not be in tight jeans and teeshirts. We enjoy watching the action.
24th Jan Sat
Checking out ,but leaving luggage behind, we are off to spend the weekend in the mountains at Colonia Tovar. We reach it after 2 hours or more of a very twisty road and covering only 40 miles! It is a german settler town. Founded in 1843 it remained very isolated right up until 1963 when finally the road was paved. Now it is a tourist spot, full of german houses.We find a Cabana and explore. Its all rather strange seeing all these german houses in Venezuela . A lot of tat for sale. It sort of reminds me of Burnham Market as being a weekend escape for the Caracaos where they can stock up on all things german and good and tat !We eat in an hotel which is not very busy served by a pure bred german girl who can only speak spanish (and a wee bit of english). Other restaurants seem rather bar like and several drunks hanging about. Clive is still feeling a bit ``precious``.
25th Jan Sun
Return to our base at the Santiago Hotel in Macuto. Down from the cool and back into the coastal melee! Have a swim in the sea. Eat in the hotel,changing dollars with a waiter before paying for the meal! They all know we have dollars.
26th Jan Mon
Keenly off to agent to make some payments and then to Air France warehouse to meet packers and pack bikes. Packers have constructed a base for the bikes to sit on. We do our bit by removing battery, mirror and screen. Two panniers fully packed stay with bike. Then all is enveloped in bubble wrap and cardboard. Into warehouse by midday as they close for 2 hours till 2pm. The crazy thing now is that we have to come back on Wednesday, with customs and police, to help them check the bikes ie if they need/want to see inside a pannier or check chassis number then either holes have to be cut in the cardboard or the whole thing unwrapped so that we can unlock panniers etc!
We finally get a bus back to the hotel preparing ourselves to hang around, now with no transport, for another 2 nights and a day. We can`t even play at cleaning our bikes. When we did this in Cape Town we helped pack the bikes and then that was that...we were free to go and the agent took care of things. Our locked panniers were not needed to be opened, they were not interested in our personal goods going back home.
27th Jan Tues
No rush to get up! But we did and went to the airport by public bus to get our tickets for Wednesday. We are having to be optimistic re the bikes. It was a change to be travelling on a bus watching the locals. All very friendly with odd bits of english. I continue to be fascinated by the tight clothes the girls wear. It must be so hot! In hot countries such as this its cooler to be in loose clothing yet here they are, very often overweight, in tight to bursting jeans and tight tee shirts over unshapely bodies. I am feeling all wrong in my loose jeans and tee shirt! The men are more sensible in looser jeans and shirts. Very few girls wear skirts or shorts.
Get to airport, very slow queue for ticket, but success in the end. Back at the hotel there is an email from Karin to say that the cost of airfreighting the bikes has doubled! The airline is now working the cost out on volume weight not gross weight as we had been led to believe and for which the bikes were packed. We have requested to repack to reduce the volume. It is all very depressing, so last minute and gives us no choice. I feel fed up with all concerned but also ourselves because we could have been a bit quicker to realise what it all might mean. The term `skid` confused us. All it was , was a wooden pallet that fitted the bikes. The pallets that were made, were too large...they should have been narrower and shorter and thus reduce volume. They were initially made for the ship where size did not matter. This is where we went wrong , not getting them altered.
28th Jan Wed
Taxi comes early but we leave with all our luggage for the agent. I express my feelings about the increase in price. We know we can do nothing now but the increase in cost is not taken lightly. Down to the warehouse to sit and wait for the `national guards` to come and check the bikes for drugs etc. We understand this will entail some unpacking. We sit with Karin and the ``runner` for almost 2 hours`. The latter keeps checking for the national guards progress. The warehouse shuts at 12 noon for lunch, we get anxious...eventually news comes that one guard has gone for lunch. As the bikes have to be inspected by two together and they do not come in the afternoon, we must return tomorrow! To inspect our panniers they need our keys which we are loathe to leave. I say I am not staying another day. We are discussing key cutting and leaving keys when the one guard who is passing is accosted by Clive.. Our predicament is explained..this is not an ordinary situation. He can see who we are and this helps. He seems sympathetic and gets on his mobile.The result is that they will inspect now! Another guard is found or the one at lunch is pulled out. The warehouse , though officially shut for lunch , allows us all in. The bikes have their cardboard and bubble wrap entirely stripped off(it is wrapped around in the first place to stop others from putting drugs etc in our luggage). We open our panniers, they take a quick look and that is that. Karin explains that the national guard has never done this before, totally unprecedented . She is flabbergasted. She says that one guard is amazed that I ride `that` bike. The fact that we are `mature` carries the day as well. Some other guys are disturbed from their lunch and they help put the fairly flimsy packaging back and then carefully wrap cling film round and round the bikes leaving not a hole.This was now important and proves that the national guard has inspected . Tomorrow they are looked at again and then get a red marker on them....we hope... for we are now going to be gone.
Karin has learnt more by all this! She kindly takes us to the airport , a short distance away. We have a few hours to kill before taking a Venezolana internal flight to Isla Margarita. Here we are going to have a few days at a resort run by Clive`s son Robert, before flying to London via a charter flight direct from Margarita on Sunday.
Our flight leaves Caracas at 4pm from gate 8 as stated on our ticket. Only problem is when we arrive at gate 8 another flight is leaving at 4.30 ! Its 3.30pm and we start wondering if the flight has already gone. A kind man who speaks english helps and after 10 mins we discover that it is now gate 5! We dash there and at 3.50pm we board . However we are not out of the woods yet . Suddenly an announcement is made and everyone gets up. The plane has an engine fault, everyone off. Back into the airport. Not long.. After 10 mins fault mended; but there is a lot of shouting and opposition to going back onto the same plane. Not from us...we just want to get there.Eventually we board, Clive has a word with the Captain, all fine he says, and sure enough all goes well and one hour late we have arrived in Margarita . Now dark but met at airport and taken to Robert`s excellent apartment. We find our way out and eat in restaurant on the beach under palm trees; a good outcome after an interesting day.
29th Jan Thurs
Thinking about yesterday and the last few days...... it is because there is a lack of trust. Here they do not trust the warehouseman to stop anyone fiddling with the bikes, they do not trust us either,the national guard has to come as a pair etc. In England we bring the bike to the warehouse and hand it over. One day and done. The paper work was handled by the agent, as in England, and seemed generally reasonable. They did not crawl around checking chassis numbers etc, nor did we pay any bribes.We hear from Karin that the bikes were checked successfully in the morning. We do not know yet if they made the planned flight in the evening!
30th-31st Jan
The news about bikes is good....they are already in Paris. We can enjoy the last two days.Palm trees and fine sand, beach bars and warm water. But rain and cloud. Rain is not normal for this time of the year and the wind is not `as it used to be`. I had a short windsurf but not enough wind.On Saturday we took a small ferry to Coche, an island 7 miles to the south, because they were holding the first Festival of Kite Surfing. We watched and enjoyed the spectacle before returning.
1st Feb Sun
Manage a windsurf and a swim before packing and getting to the airport to be confronted by a long (1.5 hr) queue to have our bags opened by the national guard who were looking for drugs. Several passengers then had further problems with their baggage it seems. Finally took off half an hour late.
2nd Feb Mon
We arrived at Gatwick virtually on time. Captain of plane remarked he had never seen so much snow in all his career. Seemed to be a minor problm till we got to the train station whereupon we found all trains cancelled. Thought we would try coach..they all cancelled too. At that point wondered whether my mobile phone was infact not workIng due to overload in the area rather than a malfunction. Former true. But got hold of son Sam on landline and he set off to get us like the trooper he is. With snowchains he made it. Sam gets us to Fulham where phone call to C H Robinson divulges that the bikes, far from not getting here tonight, arrived on Saturday . This means clearance this pm or another days charge.It is snowing and has done nearly all day. We finally get the all clear about 4pm. Cold and dark , Sam takes us to the cargo depot and we get and put together bikes while Sam loads the `skids` on his roof rack. Slowly make it back to Fulham where we see Emma and Mike for a meal together.Clive`s front wheel/tyre was very low and the road looked very wet/icy !
Lovely meal and good evening.
3rd Feb Tues
Very tired so we woke up late! Lovely sunny but cold day. Scraping the frost off the bikes and pushing them across the snowy road we set off gingerly to Norfolk. Roads are fine but it is very cold, just above freezing. Reach Burnham Market mid afternoon.
We did 11,755 miles.
End mileage 17180.
Summary from Nina
People comment.All were friendly. Argentines not that relaxed and venezuelans only people wishing to leave their country. Venezuela was different to the rest.
Go back to country and why. Peru and Equador. Would be able to hire car okay and would love to see more especially the rainforest to east of Andes.
Rubbish etc. As we went further north the more litter we saw. It has a heavy correlation with poverty and over population. Poverty has a heavy correlation with over population . Pollution by the roadside was very evident in city areas, even in the desert . Pollution was depressingly evident in all countries, even Chile which was probably the cleanest.
Motorbiking. South America proved tremendous fun as far as motorcycling went . Varied and beautiful scenery and exciting roads to bike on. The passes, the variations in height, the changes in temperature and the changes in road surface were all going to keep you on your toes. Sleeping policemen and the rules of the road kept us alert.
Summary from Clive.
People comment.
Whlst nearly all the people we have met have been friendly, this has been due to a mixture of good-luck, travelling experience and being cautious. My second comment would be that there are too many!, resulting in a great deal of poverty, particularly around large towns / cities. Shanty towns stretch for miles outside Lima, Valparaiso, Le Paz, Quito, Caracas and no doubt Bogota. Pollution, crime and corruption are natural bedfellows. Unless and until this is addressed the situation will regrettably only get worse in the years ahead.
Motorbiking
South America is a motorcylists `heaven`.The roads are on the whole very good, miles and miles of hills, bends, fast sweeping roads, tight mountainous u bends, the best of Austria, Switzerland and Italy one hundred fold. Plus of course a liberal dose of gravel, mud and as much `off road` as you can handle. We did about 1,000 miles off road, our bikes are too heavy for serious off-road stuff and the last thing we wanted was to fall off and break them (or us ) in the middle of nowhere.The riding for me was one of the highlights of the trip, much more enjoyable than in Africa where the roads are either straight and monotonous or very slippery in the rains. There is also more to see in Africa, Egypt, Wildlife etc so the ride itself is of less significance.
Rubbish
This is of course one of the side effects of an ever increasing population and social services unable to keep up. Most towns had this problem but it was worse in Venezuela, where litter was dumped anywhere and everywhere.
Go back to country and why?
I have seen what I really wanted to see at the outset,( Ushuaia, Lake Titticaca and Macchu Pichu) so have no great desire to return. I feel we did well to traverse the whole continent without mishap, and having seen the political situation and spoken to many other travellers, feel we may not be so lucky the next time, but I am glad we did it nevertheless.
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Can't resist another little trip after a long hard summer with the plum harvest etc. We are going to bike to Timbuctoo ! Since its November ,almost, we are going to cheat a bit and catch the ferry to Santander in Spain and then head south. Back at the beginning of December.
27th Oct Tuesday
I set off fom Norfolk on a very heavily loaded bike. The day before my packing had become rather jumbled and it was a matter of just getting things on board! These things included a couple of bottles of wine for the meal with Sam and Ems,, Gina and Greg , Emma and Mike; all my green tomatoes from my greenhouse as I could not bear wasting the crop, and bits of forgotten dog stuff from Bandits stay, including dog biscuits etc. It was drizzling but stopped before London. After a quick run into Stanfords to get a map of Mali, I cut across to Queensway to collect/get some euros and dollars from Interchange. Having finally got my money (had to wait 15 mins for their card machine to work) I attempted to get on my bike but could not heave it into an upright position because it was so heavy! Had to find a stone to put under the side stand so that it stood more upright and therefore easier. I am sure I was being watched...very embarassing. Tomatoes, bottles etc now unloaded and feel much better. Still seem to have a lot of stuff....clothes weigh a lot. Clive has made a separate start. He has gone to Greenwich for the night to see his children. We meet in Portsmouth tomorrow morning to take ferry to Santander in Spain. We are on the same bikes that went to South America. I had hoped to take less stuff...less guides,less maps, smaller tent...which I have, but I think I have more clothes...silly of me.
28th Oct
Both eager to reach the ferry and we see each other on the motorway. At the terminal, Clive tells me he is going to be a grandfather next year! He had been teasing me about becoming a grandmother when Gina produces in January. We are quits! Quickly aboard, all very efficient.
29th oct thurs
Had a lie in! Can't remember when I last had one of those. Then the tannoy on the ship began and that was that. We ended up reaching Madrid , just as the sun went down behind the hill tops. Lovely day, sunny, autumnal, but warm. Trees with their yellow leaves, countryside looking dry ( like east anglia)! We shot down a duel carriageway..we want to get to Morocco....and Spain in autumn..well it could have been raining but we were lucky. As it was, we twitched around on our bikes, settling slowly in to riding all day. My behind was getting used to the hard seat, my wrists to the handlebars, my knees to being bent and still . Clive's back ached and he got tired. That means food stops every hour or so to keep him going! We stayed in a Formule 1. They are very basic but we hit lucky going out to the "commercial centre" where we found a whole 'street' of restaurants and free wifi. So got the phone on wifi while we ate and picked up emails. 'Sending' was another story.
30th oct fri
It is amazing what difference a day makes. Here we are, sitting outside in a temperature that is perfect, in Seville. Never been to the centre before. The cathedral is enormous! Lovely pavemented centre and humming with life. My camera has broken so we had a mission, a very expensive one at that, ( shut my eyes, put it on barclaycard and try and forget) to get a replacement. I love my photos and the trips can not be done without a camera. Luck has not been on my side re cameras..I had to buy an emergency one on the last trip after too much dust got in the one before. Now that has started having a screen that jumps up and down and there is something whirring inside (stuck). There is not much choice if dust and vibration come into play but choose an olympus of sorts. We had travelled in hot weather after a cool start through a dry looking Spain. Vines being tidied and then loads of olive trees; wind farms and solar panel farms. We wonder which is more good for the environment as we pass 2 separate trucks each carrying a wind turbine blade!
31st oct Sat
Have to ride motorbike on pedestrian ways to get from the carpark(underground) back to the hotel to pick up our luggage. This time we are stopped by the police. "Go slowly'' he said....there was no other way! Can't find decent internet open so waste time but eventually get on our way to Tarifa for ferry to Tangier. The weather is perfect. Who would go to Europe in July/Aug when Oct is as nice as this? Catamaran ferry takes us across in no time as Morocco is one hour behind Spain. After border formalities ( much quicker than Ceuta) the fun begins. We had earmarked an hotel from the guide that was in the Kasbah...in the old town/medina at the top of the hill. Up and up narrow streets , and with some help we find it. Now we have a self appointed guide on foot! ''Pink shirt''. Hotel is full as are the next 3. Pink shirt then ,of course, knows another! Its in the medina , down the hill. Off he goes, running down the hill. Two big bikes following, me behind Clive,...streets get narrower, some loose ground, some rather rocky bits, down a pavement, narrower and narrower. Pedestrians are now having to get out of our way because we can't all fit in the narrow passageways. I desperately fit camera on handlebars as Clive shouts " take a picture of me". On we plunge, me trying to snap a photo as well, round sharp corners and down, all totally illegally. Muslim women were urging me on! Eventually pink shirt finds his hotel. It is faded grandeur and fine. Large row erupts at the gate between pink shirt and car park guard. They don't like the likes of pink shirt. We managed to pay him off though...he did us a good turn really and had to run a fair way. Welcome to the moroccan way of doing things. No beer or wine at hotel ..could only celebrate arrival with a cup of tea.!
1st Nov Sun
We have really got into Morocco now and are spending the night very near Midelt in a Kasbah like hotel. Fellow guests are a motorcycle tour group who seem to have been off road riding. Not particularly friendly..possibly Belgian/Dutch! We have crossed the middle Atlas range...took us up to 2200m and down to 13c temp. Cold in my T shirt! We have done badly by failing to get a proper lunch ( more croissants for Clive), failing to get right milk ( we bought fresh by mistake yesterday so it has already gone off) and forgetting to buy bottled water.Plenty of rrrfyddonkey carts and horse carts still in major use in the rural areas. Small about of mechanisation and plenty of hand labour. Lovely fertile brown earth in the valleys especially south and east of Tanger through to Azrou. It was green so must have rained recently.Petrol a bit cheaper than Spain..just under 1€.
2nd Nov Mon
We have again had a longish day. Not because we wanted to, but lack of the right place to stay! Some hotels call themselves Kasbahs and are very grand, others seemingly sound great in the guide but look awful when you see them like the one that said it was new when it had obviously seen better days. So we pressed on to Ouarzazate against the sun going down...not very nice. Could not see very well and had to be careful . Shame really as we were in the Dades valley with lots of old mud villages, ksars, kasbars etc. They will be lost one day as keeping a mud building going is not so easy once everyone has moved out and the rain gets to it.!Clive enjoying speaking his arabic . Always a great surprise to everyone. Many speak english though and our smattering of french occasionally gets called on. Tonights hotel,Nadia, found in the dark, has few guests. Low season it may be but the weather is perfect, in the high 20's.We feel Morocco more prosperous than 5 years ago. More people on bicycles and mopeds and less on foot or donkeys. Bicycles now a hazard!
3rd Nov Tues
We leave Ouarzazate and head for Tata, a place that we have been to before. We take a different route though , going on some skinny 'white' roads as per the michelin map. 5 years ago they would have been dirt but now there is a good chance they are tarmac. They were, a bit basic in places but great. Barren,magestic, brown rocky mountainous countryside. We climb a pass, nothing much lives here until you see a small patch of greenery...a sign of water and life. It is wonderfully unspoilt ! The odd humans scratching a living, the odd roaming dog, a man and his donkey, a camel herd. In the valleys, where there is a river, albeit mostly dried up, are the villages of mud houses and ruined mud built ksars.It looks like some new building has been taking place, for many of the compound walls look new, and there are new looking block like houses.Still being made of mud bricks. There is an air of life looking up, definitely more than 5 years ago. Villages expanding along with the population! People friendly, even while they charge you higher rates than the locals for your drinks! We really must remember to ask the price first.I am longing to see water coming down all these dried up river beds. We ride through so many...what does it look like when it rains and the flash floods come across the stony deserts? I would really like to be there.Police have been no bother to us even though virtually every major junction has a police presence. The locals get stopped, but we are waved through. Makes up for the overcharging!We reach Tata early enough to avoid the sun going down in our eyes again. Bad news though, there is no petrol in town and there may not be any for another 75 miles. I have only 55 miles worth! Clive has enough though...
4th Nov Wed
Having been told by the petrol station there would be no petrol till the afternoon, we luckily checked and lo and behold there was some. So petrol no longer a problem. We sat , last night, along with fellow guests, tap tapping on our mobile phones and mini computers and laptops in the reception area, where it had a free wifi zone. There was again a tour group and several of them had laptops . We do not..just mobiles that can do email and internet when in a wifi zone. Very good, but not enough for up loading photos , skype calls,and on-line banking etc. Now that wifi is more common we are beginning to feel we should travel with a tiny laptop. Then we do not have to search out a cyber café. We rather enjoy the friendly cyber cafes with their funny keyboards! Great road through stony desert. Mile upon mile..us and very little traffic. The odd human out in the desert but no animals to see. One wonders how some villages survive with no visible means of subsisting. But new houses going up and others being repaired. We headed to a thermal bath place called Abeino, where we went to 5 years ago. Reassuringly the same, we headed for the door together. No, I had to go to a second one across the road..segregated. I got changed into my bather in the changing room and wondered if my bather was to scant for the muslim women I was about to be with.... They were nearly all naked! Large,enormous,one in bra and pants. None could swim but we all enjoyed the very warm thermal water. After, we chatted to a german couple who agreed with us that Morocco had really modernised and how improved the minor roads were (paved now). They complained about the lack of good food! We then headed down to Tantan plage (Al Ouatia), on the Atlantic. Scud coming off the sea, not that warm and very clammy. This is the boring stretch through the western sahara.
5th Nov Thurs
It is about 22c as we set off on the cliff top road to Layoune. It rains for us in the Sahara, the first rain since leaving England! Stony (hammada) desert gives way to some sand dunes that threaten the road from time to time. Anglers perch on the clifftop, trying to get fish; camels occasionally to be seen; trucks the main traffic on this lonely stretch of road. We stop a couple of times in rough cafes. In one we have an omelete, the safest food to choose. As a female I am not expected to be sitting in a café. It slightly throws the men; interested, but also put out. Clive fascinates them with his arabic. We get by. We finally get held up in police checks. This is going to be a hazard from now on. They are tracing our route. This is an area full of UN as the sovereignship of this region gets sorted. On the whole Morocco has it..... Layoune is a big place, sophisticated with all the UN around. We pay a fortune for a bottle of wine and drink it at a dark table in the corner of a restaurant. Draw back to Morocco..getting a beer or glass of wine is tricky or very expensive....muslims not allowed alcohol.
6th Nov Fri
We set off to cover 320 miles to Dakhla. As far as we knew there was no where to stay in between. Stony desert....flat but mts around. In places the sand was blowing across the road. On the whole the wind was behind us and as it strengthened during the day, we were really being blown along. When it was sideways it was more tricky especially with sand blowing across the road. Traffic little, trucks, tourists in campervans or cars were french ,except for one lone red landrover which was british...hurrah! We had seen no brits in vehicles so far in Africa. Police stopped us at least 6 times. We saw one overturned truck...blowout I suppose.Each time they want to record passport details and bike number plates...all written by hand at each checkpoint in a large book. They certainly know where we are!
7th Nov Sat
There was a certain policeman yesterday that said we need a visa for Mauritania. Checking on a really slow internet it seems we do.Text to Nick Sanders and Jason, whohave been down this way , claim we will be okay. Lets hope so. We breakfast in a café next door, accompagned by a TV on the AlJazeera channel. Every single item has guns, shootings, explosions or some other form of violence in it. We get given chocolate croissants with processed cheese spread inside; interesting combination. Tea, "lipton" is served with sugar lumps like rocks. You see old men pouring their tea from a height into their glasses...this must help break up the rock of sugar and distribute it, for you get no teaspoon. We are aiming tfor "a lovely hotel" just 80kms before the border. We will stay there and tackle the border in the morning. So its a short day (150m) through the most unimaginable stark desert landscape. In parts its beautiful, sand blowing and ethereal, in others the sheer size and flatness and sameness is mindblowing. The wind pushes us along. The hotel, basic, is definitely a bit of a find in the middle of the desert along with a petrol station and a shop, and an intermittent internet! The sand blows ,the wind howls and the view is flat stony desert. Our room is like a cell, bare central ceiling bulb, and one tiny high up window. No ensuite!! We relax and watch the comings and goings in the café, petrol station and hotel ( bit of a knocking shop, says Clive). Clive has lost a number plate bolt on his bike...we both clean our screens. Clive finds a bolt that will do the job.
Nov 8th Sun
We head for the border through moon like landscape.At the border it takes quite some time to get out of Morocco. Unfortunately we keep being told we need a visa for Mauritania , that they stopped issuing visas on the border 4 days ago! Until then all would have been well. Some poor people are stuck in the desert in no mans land unable to go forward or back. We can give it a go, as we will be allowed back to Morocco. The Mauritanian men here on the border look great in flowing blue robes and smart baggy pants. They have a regal look and are polite. We head off on the sandy track into no mans land. I try a piece of sand and fall off, trapping my foot under my pannier! Clive to the rescue. All is well. We reach Mauritanian border and are refused entry. They say their stamp for the tvisa was taken away by big boss 4 days ago. We ring the british embassy in Nouakshott and talk to the British consel . He will try and help. We sit on the border for about 4 hours. It becomes obvious from conversations with some french and observing what was going on , that everyone was in the same boat. We were not the only ones coming to the border without a visa. A frenchman we spoke to had used the border 15/20 times and this was the first time he had problems, having always got his visa here. He had a youngman with him who's father was number 2 in the Mauritanian army. Phone calls to him were not producing results. The British consel did his best, did phone us back, but the answer was no. The only way to rget a visa now was to go back to Rabat, the nearest embassy. This is what some were doing....those on big overland trips that just had to go to Mauritania . It means 2000kms there and 2000kms back....for the visa. Probably take 4 days minimum. It is not for us. We go back over no mans land and re enter Morocco. As Clive says 'its not meant to be'. Perhaps fate is telling us something. We look at the various overland trucks, including the british red landrover we spotted the other day, that have been left while their occupants take a taxi and then overnight bus to Rabat and back. 4000kms! The story is that the situation has been created by Sarcozy talking to the Mauritanian president 4 days ago and telling him that the EU was getting tighter on immigration from countries such as Mauritania . Also , the story went, that the mauritanian ambassador complained that he had not been paid. He should have been paid from visa fees but because this has been happening at the border the ambassador in Paris was not getting any money....the border guards have been pocketing it instead. Whatever...a few days earlier and we would have made it... but perhaps not got back! Head back to next door to last nights hotel. We had noticed it as we left this morning. Tiny bit better for £4 more!
9th Nov Mon
Head back to Dakhla. Stop in nice café and whilst there, a man and woman approach us. They have seen the bikes, they are Brits who are living here in Dakhla. He is an ex biker extraordinaire, fisherman extraordinaire and many other things. She is a photographer. They both smoked like chimneys.They have an appartment and currently live there with 2 dogs, 3 puppies and 4 cats. They invited us to stay, and we accepted. Colin and Freya entertained us with lovely earl grey tea made with the slightly salty bore water that supplies Dakhla, and endless stories and facts about Dakhla and the area, and themselves. We went out in the evening to a restaurant run by a french lady and had our first bottle of wine for a few days! It was all a nice pick up for the let down about Mauritania . The facts I picked up... The desert has jackals (2 types),gazelles,rabbits and hares running around in it at night. There are also snakes and lizards etc. The big bird of prey I saw was an osprey. Lots of them here. The ones from Scotland (ringed) have been found here. Lots of fish and shellfish. Huge sardines, mackerel, vast sea bass etc. European fishing boats come here and fish. All sorts of interesting deals go on apparently. It has held a world kite surfing event here. The wind blows most days. No wind power farms because the town is owned by just two men and each of those men run petroleum companies. Hence town's electricity is generated by diesel generator. The two owners are moroccan but one is Saharawese, ie local. They are definitely rivals! Very weak communications ie internet, for most people and the water supply is intermittant at the moment. Future tourist destination? Probably as has an airport. We also chatted about the trade in cars and drugs via Mauritania and this road which we had noticed. Next day 10th, head on up to Laayoune.
11th Nov Wed
Heading north we pass an overturned truck and stop. It is the end of hopes and dreams for 4 italians. They are not hurt but their unimog/unicat has its roof ripped off and all their stuff is strewn a round. A blow out on a back tyre caused them to leave the road and roll. Tyre was good. They are trying to right it with the aid of a land cruiser but it is too heavy. In Tarfaya we take photos of...... airplane statue on the beach and of the Casa Mar a trading post built on a rock in the sea by a scottish man called Donald ..... Its a lovely spot on the edge of the beach but in the sea. The town is still the same old dusty place as it was 5 years ago but we do find a café/hotel and order a fish tagine. It takes at least one hour to appear but is very good. Luckily we did not have far to go after and were happy to sit and watch the sandy scene. Clive has told me he has been approached for a job in Angola; it has given me plenty to think about. I walk along the beach and look at a wrecked wooden fishing boat on the water's edge. In the evening we meet a couple who had also been caught up in the boder visa problem. They have driven all the way back up and now back down, 4000kms. They want to get to Senegal, where they have a place, and leave the car they are in, there. It has taken them 5 days so far!
I have lost my ipac, the gadget I write the diary on! It is my fault, I think that I left it on the black bag on the back of my bike after having been at a café today, and it slide off. It is not a disaster, everything is backed up, pin protected etc, BUT 3 days of diary were lost so I am going to have to rewrite now, from my human memory!
Thurs 12th Nov
Leave our beach side hotel south of Sidi Akhfennar, and head for TanTan and Guelmime. In TanTan we are approached by a german asking about the Mauritanian visa. He does not have one. Sadly we watch him turn his old campervan round in the road and drive back to Rabat, a round trip at this stage of 1400kms! We head for a place called Fort Bou Jerif, near Guelmime and off the tarmac road by about 9kms. In the evening a man came and did a snake charming act….laid on for some Irish who were staying. One of the women had short shorts on…Clive thought all wrong for Muslim country. She did not have the most beautiful legs nor was she young!
Fri 13th Nov
Bou Jerif was very nice but overpriced so we do not stay another night but moved on. Head for the sea on the non tarmac, gravel road. It should have been 12kms, but we wandered slightly. We could see the sea and the tarmac road we were headed for. However it was a tricky ride to reach it. First was a pretty nasty right hand bend on the side of the hill on some rocks. This set my heart going but worse was to follow. A left hand followed by a right hand bend all going steeply downhill and very rocky. The left hand bend was very frightening, quickly followed by the right hand. It is not that I was in mortal danger because we were going very slowly, just the thought of all those rocks, me and the bike! Anyway survived it and were soon down. Clive said well done. I think well done to him too on that big bike of his. A campervan watched us come down and turned round! It would never have made it. On to Sidi Ifni, surfing place with a horrible rubbish dump on its outskirts and then on along the coast. It is just how I would imagine the Algarve to have been 50 years ago and can imagine it will look like in the future….ripe for development. Through Tiznit ( looked nice) and up into the anti Atlas. It was very hot down at sea level ;34c; so was wonderful to be up to above 1000m and cooler. It is all very brown looking, dry and lovely Berber villages . Sadly much of the Berber architecture will be lost as their lovely mud built buildings have been deserted. Dust to dust etc. Stay in Tafraoute.
Sat 14th Nov
Take a day off in this nice little town. Take a walk to look at a rock carving in a nearby village. Get diverted by a Berber who wants us to look at his house. He is young and polite and not pushy so we go along and look. It is very interesting, lots of original bits and pieces including ducking through the low doorways . He has been doing up this home so at least one Berber home will be saved! He is cheating a bit by using concrete and straw, but full marks . He hopes to have tourists staying one day. He takes us to the gazelle rock carving….his home was more interesting. Last night Clive got into banana smoothies. Whilst I had some surrupticous wine from a plastic bottle in my bag, Clive had 3 banana smoothies. Not sure who was drinking the most healthy drink. Neither of us taking much exercise !! Today Clive has more….I think it was 5….he really likes them! This town is famous for almonds and shoe making. It is only a small town so we had a good look round all the shoe making stalls. We also managed to change the oil on my motorbike. First we bought some oil and then I rode it round to man with a small garage. No booking it in , you just arrive and get on with it. We helped with some tools and oil and filter and he provided the labour and the old oil disposal facility ie hole in the ground! We are also in the Argan growing region. Argan oil is sought after and quite rare. It is wonderful in salads. 5 years ago we bought a litre very cheaply. Now, here , they want 270 dms per litre. (about 24 pounds). We have declined so far but hope to find some better priced further on.
Sun 15th Nov
Before we leave we chat to some dutch. They have flown from the Netherlands to Agadir for 8 euro each. They have then hired a car from a Moroccan company for 20 euros a day. Not bad! Lovely ride in the mountains towards Agadir. Brown parched earth, argan trees dying, prickly pears dying…when did it last rain? Lovely Kasbah on a hill top, plenty of donkeys in use and lots of villages, living on what? No crops in these parched conditions .But they seem to be thriving if builders are anything to go by…the only trucks on the road are builders and we see them at work in the villages. We come down on to the plain and we enter another world. All peace and charm are gone. It is ugly, it is hot, dirty, smelly and much more traffic. Why do we have to make economic activity such a dirty thing? We stop in Tamanar. In this place near the coast we last got our argan oil, five years ago. We remember the dirty little shop. At first we are quoted 300 dms! You have to be joking…..off goes Clive and comes back very successfully with a litre for 130dms…expensive compared with last time but seemingly a good deal. Find upright place for it on the bike, not easy! Head for Sidi Kaouke, on the coast .Having lost my ipac now writing on my phone...its slower! In the evening we leave our guesthouse to find a restaurant. Its dark with no street lights in this little community. After a few attempts we are guided to a funky place round a corner. We are the oldest people there. We ask for beers,and the only thing to eat, fish tagine. It takes about an hour for food to appear. We then have to eat the food in the dark/candle light. ..made finding fish bones very hard.! The noise from the surf is loud as we walk back trying to find the moon amongst all the stars!
We are obviously heading slowly homewards and I hope nothing surprising happens. There is no point continuing the diary. ....
21st Nov Sat
We take the 10am ferry to Tarifa from Tangier. We have had an enjoyable ride mostly up the coast. We have seen very poor farmers and villages subsisting next door to brand new, nasty rich developments . We went to Casablanca and savoured the medina, the 3rd largest mosque in the world, and Rick's cafe (superb). We whizzed through Rabat.
Bikes behaved beautifully, bluetooth communication failed because my microfone fell off! We got ripped off in cafes because we forgot to ask the price before ordering. In this case, they would always double the last price they thought of. Trying to rip you off to the end, the guy at the port wanted money for pointing us to the passport office!
That is the only bad thing about Morocco. Sometimes you don't mind. ...but not usually. Its a lovely country, safe, beautiful,interesting. Easy to come in your own car or hire. Downside is the muslin society, wailing imams, lack of beer/wine (but it can be bought at a price ), and the poor second class citizens, the women.
When we reach Tangier I get a text to say my ferry from Santander has been cancelled. No more ferry for a week.
22nd Nov Sun
I did not want to go to Portugal with Clive (it was always the plan that Clive went to Portugal for a week on the way back to see to his villa there. He was always booked on a ferry one week later than mine ). So......decided to go and see Gina and Greg in St Tropez on my way up France. It would be a day's detour!
Clive and I go north together to Cacere and then split, he heading west and me east. One 500 mile day in good sunny (but cold at height ) weather. Next day reach Greg and Gina in sunny St Tropez! Gina now 7 months pregnant. Looking good. Wednesday set off again. All motorway and reach Reims, 580miles. Should have stopped earlier but could not find convenient hotel. At the end it rained and visibility became bad on bike. The day cost about 100€ in petrol and motorway fees....and that is by motorcycle! Then Reims to Calais and ferry. Stung for 68€ (no £s) for a one way ticket on the ferry. Reached home, 5,600 odd miles.
3rd Dec Wed
Clive finally arrives home. He left Portugal on Sunday, overnight in Salamanca and then Santander ferry on Monday night. He encountered snow, rain, and cold. On the ferry he lay in his cabin for 17 hours while the ship battled through force 8/9 gale in the bay of Biscay! When he went to get his bike off the ship in Plymouth on the Tuesday night it had a flat battery so he had to push it, in pouring rain, till he was through customs. Then the AA came to the rescue. More rain and cold as he motorbiked via London to Norfolk.
2nd Feb Tues
We are off to Laos to go on a motorcycle tour of the northern part of the country with a tour company called Remote Asia. We will be riding their bikes. It will, we think, be a bit like the Cambodia trip we did two years ago. Whilst doing that we were told by other tourists we met that laos was very pretty....we shall find out.
We have booked on a flight from Heathrow to Bangkok at about 9pm tonight. Have decided to go to airport on our own bikes because they can be parked for free. This may seem mad to some but seems very sensible to us! Luckily the weather seems to have warmed up very slightly this morning and it is not snowing or icy any more ( by some great good fortune the ice and snow have melted over night). So with the temp at 4.5c we set off with plenty of time to spare. One bag each on the back of our respective bikes, my F800GS BMW and Clive’s little “airport “ bike..his Honda 600. We have had to pack for temperature in Laos to vary from 10c to 33c. So I have many layers on , some of which will be left with the bike. Downside is it’s raining as well as being cold!
We arrive and do a bit of a clothes change ready for the flight. Clive gets seat by an exit door...good for legs but very bad for a freezing cold draught. 10 hour flight through which I manage to sleep a bit aided by a new purchase of a blow up neck pillow which I recommend. Now loitering in Bangkok airport waiting to catch flight to Ventiane, the capital of Laos. Laos is landlocked between Thailand,Vietnam, and Cambodia.
4th Feb Thurs
Hot here, 34c. Having caught up on sleep ( 7 hours time diff)we wander the town. For a capital it is very small very unhurried and quiet. It is very different to Phnom Penn, a very frentic busy place with lots of traffic and tooting. Clean and seemingly organised. Quite a few tourists of the back packer type, with Lonely planet guides in hand!
We got hotter and hotter, had cups of tea and fresh fruit smoothies. Finally I thought it would be cooler to bicycle slowly around so we hired a bicycle each for about 75p and slowly cycled passed the president’s palace etc. Clive had protested a bit but took to it I think. Another drink by a rather dried up Mekong and we called it a day on sight seeing Ventiane. In the evening we met Jim our guide who brought the bikes over. There are 4 of us and we are all keen to get going. Gus from Hong Kong and Peter whom we met on the trip in Cambodia. 3 men and me! The 4 of us go out together to eat. Its very hot still 33c...Laos traditional food....stuffed frogs from the river. Then a bar 4 storeys up, looking across the river Mekong at Thailand.
5th Feb Fri
Up early and off first to be blessed by a monk from the temple across the road. Then it was a few miles on tarmac before plunging on to dirt road. A quick stop to put bandanas on, check googles in place and off we went. Within moments we are covered in dust. Peter’s new Hein Gericke white bike trousers soon look they have been used for at least a season; Clive’s face is covered in red dust as he is the only one with no bandana and just his helmet visa. My clean hair is soon matted with dust where it peeks out of the helmet.
We follow the Mekong river and look at Thailand on the other side. Everything is jungly and lush. Houses have concrete walled first floors but topped with a second floor made of wood. There is a laid back feel...life takes a slow pace. When we arrive in a shack like restaurant, the owner takes his time to even stand up; cooking slowly starts but a nice bowl of noodles appears without much ado. Round the back ( and front) things are very basic. There is a loo ....in a shed; it is a squat type and water is in a tank . Birds make noises but not so easily seen. Across the road a house is being blessed with a party. Someone comes across and offers us a homemade potion made from rice.
We get used to the bikes and the roads and sort our riding speeds out. The dirt road is mostly graded but there are some random potholes of course and large cracks and gullies to sometimes negotiate. Tarmac appears every now and then and just as quickly stops. Road works slow us down as they tend to spray the road surface with water which makes it very slippery. Outside of villages there has been very little traffic.
In the afternoon we get a good stretch of tarmac and Clive and I are getting along just fine when suddenly it goes to dirt on a bend and round the corner and down the hill is the Mekong river and a ferry. Across the river is our nights stop.
We arrive, filthy, dusty and hot. But we are now well into Laos and a place called Pak- Lai. Short break to clean up and then supper at about 6.30pm in a restaurant across the road. They eat very early here...by 9pm most restaurants are closing. We are all quite tired....we being not so very young! Breakfast at 7.30am across the road.
6th Feb Sat
Our itinerary states that this day will be 220kms and mostly dirt road. That means quite a long day probably! Weather great , so breakfasted, we set off. Rough road in places but we do a very picturesque loop on perfect dirt road. Back to the rough and we get along! Pretty drink stops with river views; lunch in S........... over the river. Then we take right turn and head up in to the hills. Road is taxing in parts...steep bits, slippery bits in road works, very dusty bits and the odd bit of creek water.
Dust pervades everywhere. It has reached inside my pockets, down my bra, up my nose, in my hair and constantly on my googles which need a regular wipe with the gloved finger.! Certain pressure to keep going until Clive gets a puncture just outside a village. Jim the leader is unlucky, as he was back marking for a change, and was the guy who was around to fix it. However he did not have the right spanner. Tiny delay until a truck came by and having flagged them down they produced the right sized spanner and joined in on helping. Soon quite a crowd had gathered to watch Jim fix the tyre( and tube). All done and off we went again this time into the last rays of a sun going down which is no joke if you are following a bike ( or truck) making a dust cloud.
In spite of having to concentrate on the dirt road, the whole ambiance of Laos is not lost on us. The houses ,the villages etc. The forest clad hills and the logging. We caught up with two working elephants off to do their bit in getting logs down the hill I guess. Villages are pretty with flowers and sometimes tree avenues. It all seems so relaxed. Not so many car owners but plenty of mopeds. They seem to have electricity most places...tarmac road is the next best thing. I do feel quite bad as we go through covering the people out on the road in dust. We stopped in Hangsa.
7th Feb Sun
Breakfast and then a quick look at the local market. Amongst the delicacies on offer were live frogs, oxen skin ( raw without hair), some unimaginable parts of inards... cooked, tamarind, banana flowers, and plenty of fish including cat fish. Off we then went to do a 120 km stretch to Luong Prabang via a cross country route. It was excellent. In and out, up and down , through various small rivers ( which always is a thrill on a motorcycle) and passing through various hill top villages. We saw working elephants and took various photos. The riding demanded concentration as some parts were steep ( up or down) with bends at the same time with sheer drops too. Some of the time we were riding a ridge with fantastic views to either side.
After a crossing of the Mekong we reached Luong Prabang about 2pm. Afternoon off seeing the sights. It is a world heritage site with lots of temples. We have hit tourism again after 2 days without seeing a single tourist.
8th Feb Mon
Woke to various sounds....cock crowing, minah bird(?) whooping, monks chanting ( nearly as loud as Muslim call to prayer). Early breakfast in a room on stilts in water. The hotel had various bits of water including some, which had catfish as well as flower pots in them. Today’s morning dirt road was like a farm track with a good surface. We were following a river to begin with so there were many villages. Children waving, chickens everywhere including some very beautiful cocks, some little black pigs and piglets and adults sitting around as well as working. Fairly basic housing mostly made of wood with woven bamboo walls and on stilts. Leaving the river we took a road along a ridge. Again many villages, none that big, with waving children and chickens. I have noticed several small boys carrying babies on their backs. Later I saw men carrying babies in slings. Its not something I have seen elsewhere. Babies were being carried by women too!
We reach tarmac where upon Clive thinks there is something up with his bike. It’s the back wheel bearing. Yi, our back marker, swaps bikes with Clive, and we four set off while Yi goes more slowly with Clive’s bike . Jim goes ahead and in the next village he seems to have found a shop and a bearing that should do the trick. We go on following a very pretty winding road, climbing up and down. We infact do not get along any quicker than we did on the dirt road! Night in Vieng Thong..small town with rationed electricity and no mobile coverage.
Everywhere very pretty; green, lots of vegetation. BUT plenty of logging has gone on and hills do not all have lovely big trees on them! They are not stark either as plenty of lesser plant life is there. Some trees have been planted where trees have been cut down. Many of the villagers seem involved in wood, building from it, making charcoal, making planks etc. Many men carry a large “knife” ready for hacking. Many little boys carry slings and I am told these are for trying to get birds.
Just as we entered Vieng Thong we visited Wildlife Conservation Laos . it is involved in trying to conserve the Tiger. There are 13 tigers that they know about in their large area. Not very many!
A little note re.our hotel tonight! It has an ensuite bathroom, like all the hotels we have stayed in so far....However though it looks great...basin , loo , electric shower etc, it has one or two hiccups! If you run the basin tap( only one) the water goes down the plug hole and down the neat looking pedestal pipe but then floods across the floor from a neat hole at the bottom of the pedestal. This water does end up in a floor drain, which is a blessing,. The loo, all neat, has no flush. You look in vain and then realise that you have to use a saucepan in a tub of water to ladle water down the loo. The shower will completely soak the loo and loo paper when you use it. In a moment our electricity is going off for the night.....nevertheless all is fine and we had a good meal in the local restaurant cooked over an open fire in large black saucepans.
9th Feb Tues
Another early start...breakfast at 7am. This seemed tough but in reality “things” woke us earlier. Things like a bus leaving, market at 5.30am, cocks crowing, pigs squealing....
Tarmac road winding through the hills, up and down and round and round. Villagers slightly less poor than yesterday perhaps. Home weaving seems to be an industry. More men carrying babies whilst women work ( I guess). We reach where we are to spend the night by lunch time. Sightseeing this afternoon at “The caves”. Between the mid 1950’s and all through the Vietnam war there was a revolutionary peoples party in Laos. It kept its headquarters in these caves in the north east of Laos. We toured 3 of the caves in these limestone hills. They were slightly disappointing as natural caves for they had been helped along with dynamite. However the history lesson was good. One set of caves belonged to the party, one to a Prince who had become communist in outlook ( he became one of the post war presidents) and the last one we saw was used by the revolutionary army ( the military cave). This last one was extensive and had steep steps to climb as part of the tour. ( Clive rather laboured up them). It was hot too. The extraordinary thing about our tour round the caves was that the group ( not just us, other tourists too) travelled around from one set of caves to another by moped ( or motorbike). The guide led on his moped! If you did not ride a moped you were a bit out of it. One guy was on a bicycle and he got quite hot and bothered trying to catch us all up at the last cave! Walking was out!
Xam Nua, where we are, is fairly full of Vietnamese. It is very nearly the time for the Vietnamese to celebrate their New Year. Also the Chinese New year is about to take place. The Laos new Year is in April sometime. So the Vietnamese in this town are tonight beginning to prepare. Huge pots of sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves are cooking over open fires in back streets. This is one of many rather bland dishes ( according to Jim). We tasted some of it the next morning and agree that it was particularly dull
!10th Feb Wed
We set off early again and retrace 90 kms of a tarmac road till we reach a turning for Phonsavan. An easy days riding in terms of no off road. We all get along fine and stay ahead of schedule! Clive and I do a section together at our touring pace! At one point I and Gus follow Jim off on a diversion to see Standing Stones. It was 5 kms up a dirt road to see a kind of burial ground from about 1500 years ago. Interesting. it reminded me of a similar type area in Sardinia. Strange burial chambers and stones put upright. Lots of hard work and we really do not know why. It was worth visiting.
We reached Phonsavan mid afternoon after a nice lunch on the way. In the evening we watched a video at the MAG offices ( Mine Advisory Group). It was all about the ordinance/bombs that have been left on Laos land, unexploded. The USA bombed Laos heavily during the Vietnam War. About 30% did not explode and are left in the ground for people to dig up, step on , strike etc. Cluster bombs are the worst as they look like tennis balls and children pick them up. Also the poorest villagers have tried to supplement their income with scrap ie from these unexploded bombs, with dire consequence . Lots of statistics making depressing reading for the Laos. Interesting for us in our ignorance.
11th Feb Thurs
A day sightseeing, albeit by bike! Off to see Site 1 of The Plain of Jars. I had imagined earthernware but no, these are hewn out of granite and hollowed out and shaped like giant jars...some with lids. They were then dragged miles from the quarry and positioned in many sites. The use and why is a mystery. Site 2 that we also went to was on a hill top. How did they get a 7 ton granite jar up there about 2000 years ago? As well as looking at the jars we also saw lots of bomb craters and were told to walk in certain places only. All the Unexploded ordinance/bombs (UXO) in Laos has had a big impact on their present day lives. Even 40 years on people are being maimed and killed out in the countryside. Fields cannot be tilled until checked by MAG. Children find the little “bombies” and play with them as they look like tennis balls. Until they explode.......
We see a bombed and ruined temple Wat Piawat where the Buddha has survived. In fact the temple, built in 304 ad , had been ruined before by the Hans from China. Then 3 of us follow Jim on the “aggressive “ dirt route back to town (Phonsavan). Steep in parts, river crossings and a narrow road. I hear later that I was the first female he had taken on it. We go through a couple of villages, one so remote that they have only ever seen Jim and a few other riders from outside of their village. Discover from Jim that many of these hill top villages are Hmong people. They form about 6% of Laotians and are a problem to the government in some parts of the country.
12th Feb fri
Off we go , on tarmac. First stop a cave with a large Buddha inside it. The cave had also been used as a hospital in the war. It was lovely and dry, as have all caves we have been in , but they are not so dry in the rainy season as can be evidenced by the stalagtites and stalagmites. On we go ..it is a main road and then becomes even mainer as we join the Vientiane to Luong Prabong road. On the map it looks dull and trafficky. However in reality it was very beautiful and the traffic was minor compared to UK. Jim told us that to the right of the road was an area where Hmong refugees from Thailand were still being resettled. Apparently no one can go there even though there is a road. They are to be left alone. Military makes sure that that is so. To the left is another area of unrest!
The road went through the mountains which changed to carst limestone scenery. With jungle plants and trees hanging off the steep rocks , slow moving rivers and bits of water, the paddy fields and the people it was all that you would imagine the country to look like. We have ended up in Vang Vieng, on a river. Tomorrow we do things round here. It is now hot as we have come down from the mountains where at about 1000m it was pleasant. It has been high 30s in Vientiane.
.13th Feb Sat
Three of us go off with Jim and Ye to do some little trails round here. It included a rocky river crossing where Clive starred so we could take photos of him. He likes it. It looked rather worrying but I got through as did the others. Very basic villages linked by this very small track. Back to hotel and off to do kayaking. Peter had in the meantime relaxed and then taken a boat ride in one of those slim boats with a fishtail engine. He didn’t fancy the labour of kayaking. We were taken 6kms upstream by road. Discovered that Yee had been born around here and used to play in the river as a small boy. He also used to bicycle 15kms to school every day.
All looked nice on the river and there were some little shallow rapids every now and then. So the current flowed along okay. Approaching a lot of noise which sounded like a party we rounded a bend to see masses of young, locals and Europeans playing. Some in rubber rings floating along, some on a kind of bungee type zip ride which ended with jumping/falling into the river, some on other kinds of zip rides that ended up with splashing into the river. etc. Music, sunbathing, swimming, drinking.....everyone enjoying the river on both banks. Slightly further on was a water slide that ended with an up bit so you were hurled upwards before falling into the river. I decided that I had to have a go at this so Clive and I went ashore and had a go. We made it and all the young cheered at us oldies having a go!
Lots of butterflies but lack of bird life. Water buffalo herd completely immersed in the water looking like hippo or rocks. All this happiness will be spoilt before too long. Health and safety will appear, population will expand and pollute the river even more , too many tourists etc. In the meantime the young boys still play in the river and try and catch fish just as before. But for how long?
14th Feb Sun
Our last day. We head off on the main road. There really is not that much traffic BUT we do have to watch out, for cows, for mopeds of which there are lots ( cheap Chinese ones) often 3 up or even 4 on occasions supposedly with crash helmets on but not always, for pick up trucks of which Toyota is the king ( if you are middle class or rich enough then a Toyota Hilux double cab in silver is what you want), and crabbing local buses belching out diesel. Dogs too need watching though they seem quite wise. Long legged cockerels usually stay their side and children can dash across. Speed limit says 30 kms through villages and towns but no one takes a blind bit of notice..just get along as fast and safe as you can. White lines...where? Traffic lights?
We have lunch over looking a river and eat delicious river fish cooked with three different flavours. Then a little bit more off roading and a very sweet little wooden ferry across a final river. Into Ventiane to finish...we power along a dual carriage way with mopeds coming up the wrong way!! My bike has made it..Honda FX .
Its hot as the four of us go out together to celebrate a great few days. Jim and Yee are off elsewhere.
Clive and I leave Ventiane the next day and head homewards via Thailand.
27th Sept.
Here we are in Namur in Belgium; our first night on a trip to the former Yugoslavia. The only thing booked was this night in a Formule 1 and the Sea France ferry. The map has scarcely been looked at except for getting to this spot. I am on my BMW F650GS and Clive on his 1800cc Goldwing.
I think that I have not been to the former Yugoslavia since Sept 1977. Clive says that he has not been ( except for Slovenia)since he came through on his way to Dubai in 1975. 33 years/35 years! What changes will we see? Well we know that it has been split into several countries after civil war in the region .Apart from that not a lot.....that’s why we are going!!
Cold for the time of the year and drizzly, we walk out in the dark to have a meal in the local “friterie” and finally to have a look at the map and discover each others plans for the trip...We do agree that the next two days should be spent on motorway getting swiftly nearer to the area we are interested in. So far so good. To Landeck in Austria then...
28th Oct
Clive has come touring on his goldwing. It is very good at motorways but has nowhere to put a map, nor can it carry much more than your clothes. So fine for Europe if you don't camp (when you would need that trailer, or Nina on her own bike with all the kit. )
Bit damp, definitely cold, 10c, but could have been more rainy! Managed 350miles.How did we do more on the world trip?
29th Sept
Motorways are boring but I do like the Belgium and German more relaxed attitude to the verges. Both seem happier than Britain to let the weeds grow and flower and for the vegetation in the middle,and on the verge, to look more natural...some would say untidy. It is more interesting/prettier to me. Luxembourg was all very spick and span to the point of sterility as is Austria . Ourselves and France are somewhere in between. In this cost saving time it must save money to not cut, strim and tidy so often.
Clive cannot carry the milk carton so easily as he has integrated panniers and smart liners which would get ruined if milk spilt. But he did nobly manage today.
Weather improved a bit and we have seen the sun!! Hurrah. Stop by lunchtime at Landeck in order to call in at Hotel Enzian which becomes a bmw motorrad hotel for the summer months ( skiers hotel in the winter). Read about it so thought we should look in. Its full tonight with a car rally.
30th Sept
We stayed in an hotel across the way and admired all the Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Aston Martins etc. They made a noise in the morning!
Off we went to play on passes. Clive wants to do the Stelvia Pass which is in Italy and entails doing various loops to get there. Weather was okay but looked more ominous in the afternoon as we neared Bormio which is at the bottom of the Stelvio. Forecast was for showers that evening and cloud /rain for morning. Rain meant snow higher up. Oh well, not much we can do but hope its alright. Temperature was to be freezing at 1800m...the Stelvio is 2755m. Snow line was at about 1800m. Read that Stelvio is the 2nd highest pass in the Alps.
Bormio, old Italian town with cobbled narrow streets and really very pretty. We were seeing it in less than good light. Firstly it was early closing day( Thurs)! Secondly it was drizzling and thirdly it was the wrong time of the year. Lots of hotels shut but we did okay and had a good pizza.
1st Oct
Off we went, about 9.30am, up and up 39 hairpin bends. All was fine. It was snowing very gently but road was salted I guess. A few cross country skiers enjoying the first snows of the winter. Plenty other hardy bikers all enjoying the zero temperatures. Down the other side with even more hairpin bends heading for Cortina. Funny to be on a motorcycle going through ski resorts and looking at ski runs that I have done round the Sella Ronda.At one point we went along a lovely Italian valley where they were growing apples. All kinds of apples being intensively grown; some were a really dark purple colour. Harvesting was in progress and there were lots of little orchard tractors trundling along the rather busy main road.
Think we have done alpine passes now and need some warmer days. On towards Slovenia.
Passes list:
Finstermunz
Bernina
Forcola di Livigno
Foscagno
Stelvio
Colle di Villa
Costabunga
Fedaia
Flazarego
2nd Oct
Night in Cortina before bobbing in and out of Italy and Austria , until we finally reach Slovenia and Kranjska Gora.
3rd Oct
Never having travelled here at this time of the year..early Oct.. I have been surprised how many tourists there are around. The Alps, and here, are full of hikers, cyclists, runners, and motorcyclists. What must it be like in early September? We would have preferred to have come then because it would have been warmer but all these people...is this their ideal time to come?
We head towards Postojna, where Clive has been before on a tour in 2000. It has caves, biggest in Slovenia, and castle. We cruise along lovely roads in pretty valleys, doing yet another pass in our stride. The river beside us was so clean and clear and then turned the most wonderful turquoise colour. People were canoeing on it. Bet it was cold however!! Slovenians very helpful and friendly and seem to speak wonderful English so no problems there.
4th Oct
I can’t believe these Slovenians...its less than 17c outside and none of them are turning on their central heating systems, even for a short time in the evening. We have been in torrential rain to day and have wet things to dry, its cold in the bedroom and no hope of things drying. We look longingly at the nice radiators and fiddle with the controls but nothing happens! Saving money! Of course, the polite Brits that we are , we have not moaned or asked. ( Another day we did ask and were told that it got switched on when the outside temp reached 5c!)
Today began well with visit to a castle near Postojna. It was built under a rocky overhang and included caves within its make up. As we set off to the next sight, a major cave, it started to rain seriously. I map read us the wrong way , so we took a little longer to reach the cave; by then we had gone through some serious downpours. Once we had arrived it stopped and things improved! Unesco site cave. The river coming through the cave system had flooded 2 weeks ago, raising the height within the cave by 30 meters. This has not happened for a while. River was higher than normal as it rushed through its gorge within the cave system( the part that we saw).Good fun. Got some rooms nearby which was good . Another couple here, writers; who, skinny as they are, seem oblivious to the cold!! Unexciting pair.
5th Oct
It is raining! The skinny writers are late for breakfast. They are helping to translate poems ( from Slovenian ?), I don’t think we have much in common!
Lots of dressing up before we are off, heading south. We have one or two heavy showers and then things improve but the day remains very grey with outbreaks of drizzle, no sun. It has been 95% grey for over a week now. Warmer though ,especially as we get to the coast and head down it as far as Senj. It is my wish to go inland, Clive wants to cling to the coast. I want to see where I went as a teenager with my father. That was down through the middle.
We find ourselves in a rather bleak valley in Croatia where many houses are abandoned and have bullet holes in them. Bus stops have been abandoned and the countryside is neglected. It’s all a bit eerie. We get on well down the empty road. What went on here?
Day ends at Knin. Here Clive reiterates his keenness to stay with the coast. He also seems worried by the thought of going say to Sarajevo. He doesn’t fancy Kosovo but is happy to go to Albania. He is fed up with bends. Its that Goldwing that is upsetting his sense of adventure...he went through the middle in the 70’s too and yet his sense of adventure has gone. I am left with the dismal thought of going inland alone. I have not come here after all these years not to see some of it again.
6thOct
The sun is shining! I am determined to go inland and try and imagine /see some of where I travelled 33 years ago. Clive finally chooses to come of which I am very glad.
Unfortunately the weather goes downhill as we go up, and much of the day is spent in wet low cloud as we go from 500m to 1000m several times on our way to Sarajevo. Reminiscing, I could picture one spot where our exhaust fell off the car all those years ago, and we cooled the section off in the river. Then it was a dirt road, now its tarmac. Pretty, loads of hard wood trees in various shades. Several small hamlets of abandoned and ruined houses. This from the recent war. We are now in Bosnia. Mosques dot the landscape; the only other competition coming from orthodox churches.
We make it to Sarajevo and encouraging Clive to keep going for the centre we make a lucky turn down a side street and find the old town. Landed just where we wanted and soon found an hotel opposite Lion bridge where Austrian arch duke was assassinated so starting WW1.
7th Oct
Wandered round the streets of the old town whilst Clive went off to a place that could mend his Blackberry phone. The little toggle ball was failing…a common fault apparently…but could be fixed. It was fixed, which was good for otherwise Clive would have been very unhappy not being able to play with his phone and get emails and texts etc…!! Note…it did not last long so Clive thinks the guy put in another second hand one
Off we go to Mostar with a booking at a sister hotel. Mostar was a must see according to the Sarajevians. It is the place where the bridge was bombed in the recent war, cutting the town in two. Nice ride there down beside the river in a fairly gorge like valley. Croatia and Bosnia are very pretty with lovely hard woods and wooded mountain sides etc. Mountains rise up to a good 1000m so there are plenty of ups and downs.
Mostar has a pretty old town. It was badly damaged in the war especially round the Sari Most…old bridge. It is an Ottoman town, founded in the days of the Ottoman empire ( it seems that was the beginning of Bosnia?) and our hotel is an ancient monument as in oldest ,best preserved ottoman house.
All the nicknacks in the old town for sale look Turkish…you could easily think you were in Turkey;several mosques with their minnerets on the sky line emphasise that. Not what you might have expected. The war has also wrought major destruction on many of the old big buildings in the town. They stand ruined without roofs but with their 4 walls and trees now growing out of parts of them. Presumably all set fire to as they are all without roofs. Fifteen years on….
The big story about the town being cut in two because of the loss of the old bridge we find a bit over the top, because there are at least another two bridges over the river within the town. The river runs deep and very fast in a gorge…quite dramatic. We watched a guy jump in from the bridge for the tourists…he had gathered up money for watching first!! Must have been cold!!
8th Oct
We found a local place to eat last night after quite a bit of hunting. We just did not want the tourist ones.
Our hotel was amazing really. Not hugely expensive, not overdone but a national monument as a perfect Ottoman house still being lived in by the original family's descendants. ..9th generation. We were all shown round after breakfast. We had stayed in the part used for business.
Off to the coast and Dubrovnik. I have never been to Dubrovnik before. Very grand old city. Lovely buildings and setting. Now far too many tourists seemingly all eating all the time in the small cafe restaurants stuffed in every tiny street and alleyway.
The coastal route is very different to inland. Tourism changes things. Scenically it is lovely but so are the inland mountains and towns. Clive says he is glad he has seen Mostar. ..it has been a very interesting eye opener. The war is creating its own kind of tourism. As you enter old Dubrovnik there is a board depicting which houses were burnt, bombed, shot at and bullet /bomb holes in the streets. They have done an amazing job of restoration. ...in the places where it matters most. ( Now having read a bit about Dubrovnic I am aware that it has been restored before and been through many a war!)
Biking wise the day has been sunny but strong cold wind. Temp reached 22c.
9th Oct
We don’t go far! Sun shines, wind is cold but sun strong enough to sit outside in and be warm.Visit Kotor, another old town centre but in a beautiful setting on the edge of the most southerly “fiord” deep into Montenegro. We have missed out Serbia and will not reach Macedonia because we are heading into Albania tomorrow. If you don’t hear from us again you know where we are!!
10th Oct
We spent the night in Budva on the coast of Montenegro. Not a place that would exactly spring to mind I am sure. It usually has 80% Russian tourists apparently. Nevertheless it had a perfect old town…a medium sized version of Dubrovnic with huge walls and all the shops eating places etc. Nice beach, lovely bay….
We left in sun and rode inland and then to Albania after skirting Podkorica. Road became very bumpy and narrow and we were full of trepidation. Absolutely no problems and very friendly border guard. Off we went down a very bumpy but tarmac main road. Wider road under construction beside us. Very bumpy till the first big town, Shkoder. Driving very much third world in old Mercedes…masses of them. Also really quite a few/lot of English number plated vehicles. Some quite new…are they all stolen? Also other European countries’ cars. Road improved after Shkoder and we then had a conversation with a biker on a NL reg bike who turned out to be Australian. Very lonely, perhaps, as he wanted to talk for ever. He pointed out that all the petrol stations were probably for money laundering purposes as there was one every 3 or 4 miles!! Messy, untidy, dirty looking country with obviously poor ( donkeys, horses and carts and hand tilling) and nouveau rich in smart/stolen cars and smoke windscreens etc with new houses etc etc. How does this reconcile with communism? I find it difficult. People nice and friendly and many spoke English, or tried. We went and sat in the middle of Tirane having a tea and coffee in what is their Hyde park. Thence to the ferry from Durres (to Bari). Road was fine where tourists go but apparently all secondary roads bad/rough.
11th oct
Its raining in Bari, Italy and only 11c. I really thought this far south would be better. We went for 5 hours in the rain and cold. Missed out a peninsular( because of the weather) we were going to go round and headed for Rome .Had quite a few coffee stops to dry out a bit. Clothing failure for Clive was his “waterproof overtrousers” so he got wet leathers. For me it was my “waterproof overjacket” but I had lots of layers on so it did not get all the way through. My boots are leaking..just a bit. They will have to be reconditioned by Altburg. Thought we would do some autostrada but it was costing 1 euro per 10 miles on a motorbike so took to other roads. Rain did stop and we looked at ( from outside) the Abrusa di Montecassino…famous for soldiers holding out and a monestry , on top of a hill.
12th Oct
Clive gave his leathers to the hotel people to dry, but we think that they just hung them over a chair which we could have done. They were still damp in the morning. We had a curious apartment for the night with a bath but the water was not more than hand hot.
The sun shone today so in the end all wet things got dry. Had good day on a kind of mid road between sea and motorway. Many towns with old centres with magnificent walls…places one has not heard of. Ended the day in San Gimignano. Magnificent sky line on top of a hill with 8 solid square towers looking like a modern sky line of sky scrappers. These were built hundreds of years ago…two churches or more and two monasteries and more, all with ancient murals etc. Am I meant to have heard of this place? I have come away from Croatia etc knowing I must read a book about the recent war there and now I seem to lack here. Much to read. Should have had a Lonely planet guide of Italy…they are really good and would have filled us in.
Italian driving is fast and spontaneous, and Clive out in front had many moments of being “cut up”. Police seem active but speeding is endemic.We had to go with the flow!! Lovely moments when Clive, who is sort of leading with his Zumo GPS, was lead on shortcuts by the gadget. Tiny roads for short spells , one leading us through commercial Kiwi fruit farm on one side and hazel nut bushes on the other. Wished I had had the camera…..
13th Oct
We have been avoiding motorways and taking life more slowly. This morning decided to go up the leaning tower of Pisa. I have driven past it so many times, been near it a couple of times but never stopped to sight see proper. So hung around for the next “tour” and went up to the top. Lovely bells , lovely view. Perfect time of year, not too hot and fewer tourists ( still plenty).
Not needing to rush we continued to avoid motorway and because its not summer time got along quite well on the main road along the coast. Climbed a pass round La Spetsia and then found ourselves in Sestri Levante . Always by passed this place on the motorway. Very pretty and like the other night they don’t see many British .
15th Oct
Made our way via motorway in lovely weather to Juan les Pins to visit Toby and Rachel Campbell Gray. Very nice for all of us. Next day, headed onward to visit Gina and Greg and my little grandson Elyos who is now 9 months old. They have had a summer in a caravan on the edge of St Tropez. Difficult, as the now mobile Elyos likes to put all sorts of things in his mouth, and the sandy ground outside the caravan is full of worrying things!!
16th 0ct
We learn that there is a fuel depot strike ( shortage of fuel ) and so top up our bikes ready for tomorrow along with other panic buyers with loads of jerry cans in the back of their cars. Our range is not that great however!!
17th Oct
Set off in sunshine and ended in snow! Did motorway for a bit and then Clive wanted to go over the Central Massif. We had been warned it was cold there but I suppose neither of us really thought we would find it snowing there mid October. We had this pass to do , up to 1150m before St Etienne and the rain became sleet at about 800m and was settling on the road. It became quite seriously snowy and we were riding along very slowly holding up the traffic. Thank goodness for the traffic for it kept some wheel tracks in touch with the tarmac!! Just before the top there had been a bad car accident(didn’t help my confidence!) and the police were standing there looking at us all. My eyes made contact briefly with one of them and he had a double take when he saw I was female! We crept onwards and slowly down. A snow plough overtook me which was a huge help. Bikes did not slip luckily so all was well and we found a lovely hotel in Montbard les bains. There the lady told us that the weather was not normal…normal would be a temperature of 11c, not 2c.
18th Oct
We wake up to a thin layer of snow…we are at 380m!! Very happily it disappears/melts and the day which began rather dismally with grey, cold, 4c, and snow, gradually improved as we went north into sunshine and 11c.
The fuel crisis is going on but though we have been topping up just in case ( and finding a few queues and shortages) it has not been difficult. So far okay and we need only one fill up to make it to Calais.
We have been wearing a great deal of clothing. We had not expected such cold weather but nevertheless were ready for anything. We had a waterproof layer, heated layer, jacket and warm layers. Felt very trussed up! Come to the conclusion that this time of the year is too late in Europe.
19th Oct
Arrived back in Norfolk about 7pm. Foul ride in England with lashing rain, strong wind, jammed M25 and cold. Dark by the time we neared Fakenham and found the main road shut so had to detour off into the countryside to finally get home.
The future plans are ambitious......London to Beijing on the bikes via "the Stans". Anyone want to come?
Friday 10th Dec.
In the midst of getting Christmas presents etc, Clive and I are also getting ready to drive an old car ( see photo) through Europe to Morocco, North western sahara, and Mauratania to Mali. Final destination is meant to be Bamako where the car is auctioned off in aid of various charities. We, however, have a real wish of getting to Timbuctou, a place that we have tried to get to on our bikes twice before but never quite made it. Bamako to Timbuctou is a 2 day drive on sandy corrugated road. It is not encouraged if you are in an old car about to be auctioned, for it might easily decrease its value ie it might fall to pieces all together.
We are putting our faith in an old mercedes estate, a 200TE. It is quite gutless but trundles. It has done 212,000 petrol miles. It was bought on ebay in August. Since then it has had a new wheel bearing and a second hand prop shaft. That work was done courtesy of Millenium Motors in Dereham who could not have been kinder. We have not been to them before so were not faithful customers; nevertheles they supplied much of the labour for free and were very sympathetic to our cause.
Burnham Motors too, have been generous, by not charging us for the car's MOT. It only needed an MOT for three more weeks which was annoying but they have sorted us out.
Other charitable donations have been received from Kingsway Tyres (a tyre pump ), The Present shop in Burnham with a boxful of gifts for children/adults, Randell NFM ( a tow rope) and Johnsons with lots of small bits and pieces that might be useful for bribing policemen etc.
We are told we will be stopped and searched more in a car than we are on our bikes. We shall see. The trip was Clive's idea in spite of the fact that he hates being driven by me ( or anyone). Obviously the driving will be shared!!! Clive has been practicing lately by allowing me to drive more often than is usual for when we are together.!
We have friends in Dahkla who are very much hoping we make it, as they have asked us to bring out some of the British things they miss most. So we have a box full of things like Birds Custard powder , Branstons pickle and Marmite!
We set off on 21st Dec via Portugal for Christmas. Then its down to Tarifa afterwards.
Thurs 16th Dec
These are the two charities that this venture is donating to:
Quote...1. The Eden Medical Centre Dinfara , about 80Km from Bamako , , it has 8 wards with one fully in use with medical equipments brought by the UK Mali Aid team of the Challenge of 2009, 2 others are near completion.
2. The Mother and Child Hospital Kalaban Adeken just about 10Km at the outskirts of Bamako, it shall have 3 wards, we already have a water point, flowers planted around the centre and enough briques to put up the Out Patients ward , all monies are also from the challenge .
We have had a great deal of email contact with others taking part in this venture. There are three groups, One sets off 17th Dec, then ours 27th Dec and a third on the 7th Jan ( I think). About 10 vehicles in each group. Whilst Clive and I have not actually taken much part in the emails flying back and forth it has been fascinating to see what others are worried about or are intending to bring. Some think they are going to be in the back of beyond all the way and are bringing the kitchen sink, whilst others talk as though they are in new cars, and plan 750 miles a day. We are not bringing much in the way of tools or spares as they either have to be left behind or brought back. Maybe we are wrong.....We believe we will find internet cafes, others have invested in expensive satellite phones to stay in touch with. We believe our mobiles will work and will be able to send texts. We shall see.......
The weather is currently miserable here and snow may thwart our progress to Portsmouth on Tuesday morning.
Dec 21st Tues
We are both a bit anxious about the state of the road from Norfolk to Portsmouth, where we are going to catch a ferry to take us to Santander in Spain. So we wake at 3 am to find that it is -10c outside. Is the old car going to start? It is packed pretty full with Clive’s stuff, Freya’s stuff, our bags, and boxes of gifts from The Present house and Johnsons of Fakenham. We will be able to bribe all on the road now AND give some lovely colouring books/paper/crayons etc to children we see .Thank you to you all.
The car starts....we had jump leads standing by....and off we go into the night. It is beautiful, the full moon is shining in a clear sky and we have a great chance of seeing the eclipse of the moon at 6.30am. The snow and frost sparkle in the countryside and our road is clear of snow. Slight worry as to whether the salt is working if the temp stays at -10c as I heard it stops working below -9c.
Unfortunately cloud appears in the sky as we leave Norfolk and the chance of seeing the eclipse fades. We pull into Mimms services and realise it is not as cold any more. We have no more problems and reach Portsmouth with 2 hours to spare. We can relax and leave frost bound UK behind as we board the ferry. In the queue is a motorcyclist! He has come from the Shetlands in two days and was heading to Gibralter. I think he was in the services as he shook my hand!
Dec 22nd Wed
Ferry gets in early, Santander seemed very warm, and off we head to Portugal. We spent nearly an hour doing loops round the town. Clive took a short cut he knew about, but though he was on the right track his memory was thwarted by bad sign posting. Uneventful after that till we reached Portugal when the map reader ( me ) apparently chose the slow route though it was the obvious route on the map . The driver had insider knowledge. Car went magnificently in the sometimes torrential rain on the plain of Spain. It is completely gutless up the hills but we have no other problems so far.
Christmas in Penela ( Beisterio). Back on the road 27th Dec
.Dec 27th Mon
Began at 8 am to do 450 miles to Tarifa. Uneventful, good roads, little traffic and dry weather. Car trundled very well. We arrived at the hotel..room free as part of the rally ....about 6pm. Found one team had arrived. Service guys who had never been outside Europe. As we went to our room two more teams arrived....see them in the morning. That is 4 out of 10....bit of a poor show.
Dec 28th Tues.
In the end 6 teams made it last night ( inc ourselves). We saw them all in the morning and admired their cars. Our car is the oldest out of these 6. The other teams’ cars are covered in stickers and writing, whilst ours is plain ordinary. We think we do not need to bring attention to ourselves...thieves, corrupt officials etc , especially further south. Hotel which was good, had electricity failure whilst we had breakfast.
We left to catch ferry to Tangiers. Bought tickets for the 1pm and ended up catching the 11am as it was late in leaving....perfect. Took half an hour to get through customs...not too bad at all....for Morocco. Then trouble began; Clive, who was driving made a unilateral decision to go on the motorway. We were not short of time and had only 250 kms to do to reach Rabat. I was very unhappy and cross. There was a good main road to Larache THEN the motorway would make sense. Instead we left the motorway south of Larache and literally picked our way along a minor road that had been hard hit by recent torrential downpours. It was very slow going but plenty to see . Much flooded land, lots of sand on the potholed road, donkeys, carts and people wandering. It was a road that we had come the other way on last year....it has deteriorated a great deal. Saw plenty of storks on their nests way up on top of poles; horse ploughing with single furrow plough and donkeys with their carts. Very interesting but slow progress......!!!
Finally reach Rabat. We have to get Mauritanian visas here. By 8am tomorrow morning we have to be outside the embassy if we want to get the visa on the same day. I had problems getting money out of the ATM machine. Some of it due to me as I was foolishly trying to use a card I don’t often use. Phone call to uk sorted it.
Dec 29th Wed
Up at 7am to take taxi at 7.30am to Mauritanian embassy. Arrive at 7.50am to find an unruly queue/bunch at the door in the wall already. Join back of queue like good Brits behind some Spaniards. Soon the all important form is handed out by a smart suit clad official. We all struggle to support the form on anything hard as we stand in the ‘queue’ and fill it in. It was in French but we all helped each other with questions like your mothers maiden name etc. All the while other people are turning up and not coming behind us but making a bigger bunch by the door.Then an official tries to make a queue of us and we good people retreat even further back or away from the door. Females were then directed to come out of the queue and go and stand on the opposite side ( of the still closed door). At first he did not spot me and of course I was with Clive but then he saw me: I motioned that Clive and I were together so he put Clive’s passport etc in my hand and off I went to the no doubt more advantageous position nearer to the magic door in the wall. The men all pushed a bit more. It was all very unfair. We ladies were all in a bunch on one side and the men on the other. The reason for the separation is islam ie men are not supposed to touch women . The door opened and both females and males shove for the open door. It opened on to a tiny room. 4 people could queue inside all aiming at a tiny hole in the other wall where sat our suited official going about his work at a very slow methodical pace. It took me about an hour to reach him. The Europeans were stoic, the arab element were very vociferous. Still new people were joining the fray, frantically filling in the form and clutching photocopies and spare photos etc. I had an ally in a French lady ahead of me and an enemy of a muslim lady behind!! She was pushing and shoving and the men were pushing us ladies too; most particularly the arab men!! Eventually me and a German man held the doorway waiting to enter the room. Clive meanwhile was not getting anywhere so it was very lucky that he had a female with him. I eventually got there and when done had to push against the crowd to escape. The exit and entrance were the same so anyone who had finished had to fight their way out. Survival of the fittest . It could have been handled so much better. Probably only about 50 people but all trying to get through a single hole at the same time. Unfortuately we could not get the passports back today; we have to wait for tomorrow. So another night here.
We went sight seeing in the medina and Khasbar. The weather is very pleasant..sorry!!
Dec 30th Thurs
Hang around till setting off in the car about 11.30am to visit an historical site on the way to the embassy. Did a quick tour of old Sale/Chellah just on outskirts of Rabat. Amongst the roman and islamic ruins were lots of Storks ....much more fun to look at on top of their nests!
Off to the door in the wall at the embassy. Many of yesterday’s people hanging around and door firmly shut. Clive tries chatting up an embassy driver but though he tried to get our passports he failed. We must wait. We hear that there was a real fight in the queue yesterday after we had gone. As the time neared 11.15...the cut off point/door shut time, tempers frayed . Glad we were gone. Today we wait, make a cup of tea in the back of our car on the stove and eat what food we have. Finally the door opens and it is women first !! The man behind the hole in the wall has lots of passports on his desk, but instead of being in number order, country order or even by colour they are randomly placed. I spot mine but it is a while before Clive’s is located..it was lying the wrong way so the number was not showing. Success finally, visa is got and off we go again heading south after saying goodbye to the two Spaniards Clive had befriended in the queue yesterday.
Soon we have a major argument again about the road. Clive in love with motorway and me in love with anything but.
It is very picturesque by the coast south of El Jeddid. Green fields on one side and fun shore line and the crashing atlantic waves on the other. The fight over motorway or not becomes inconsequential as the choice is now between main or secondary road. We end up coming into Oualidia about 20 mins after dark. The last few miles were tricky as firstly it rained hard and secondly the locals were scurrying home on foot, by donkey or bicycle....all unlit.
Dec 31st Fri
Had nice drive to Essaouira. Pretty countryside, green fields,donkeys galore, mules and carts, horses and carts and mopeds. The locals are still using animals as their main mode of transport. Part of this coastal region looks a bit like southern Ireland ( now that it has greened up with recent rains), We have been trying to video but are not being that clever. Thought we had filmed one village where there was literally a donkey park(!!) but had failed to switch it on! Also tried to film a tortoise walking across the road but mostly missed it! Some European cyclists toiling up a steep hill were our next try and they came out like dots. We need help!
The car trundles. Almost clocked 214,000 miles now on its petrol engine. We think there is a bearing noise but ignoring the idea for now.
Heard from the other teams that the Mauritanian embassy had a much more controlled system in for the day after us and that it had decided to be open Friday which it normally doesn’t. They (the other teams) have all headed off to Marrakesh. I think we are the oldies team......all the ones we have met are much younger than us! We are celebrating the New Year here. Its 8pm, we have booked a table in the medina where there is already a fair amount of music noise.
1st Jan Sat
We sat on a terrace high up on a roof top to eat our meal. Though the day time had been pleasantly warm it was now too cold to be outside to eat! So we sat in all our coats eating an indifferent meal. There was music being played on another roof top and the square below was busy at first but then quietened. We did not quite make it to midnight!. This morning the Moroccans have been sympathetic to our new year and greeted us with happy New year greetings.
Drove through Argan oil country and bought some from a roadside stall. Hope the coca cola bottle full of oil makes it on the plane back home in a suitcase. It is so delicious and impossible to buy back home.
Saw a camel pulling a single wooden plough! That was only just down the road from a farmer with a smart new tractor.
The car is now covered in seagull shit from being parked near the fishing harbour in Essaouira! It blends in very well with all the old mercs on the road. Ours at 18yrs is quite a youngster and in spite of what we think is a gutless engine , can outperform many of the even older ones. Traffic moves slowly as many cars\lorries are old and knackered; overtaking is slow and hazardous! We struck lucky on food today and have good tagines at the right price. 40 drms should be about right but sometimes we have been had for 3 times that price. I love the amazing ambience of these local cafes..this one south of Esssaouira, had the fruit and veg shop, butcher, cafe and restaurant in one. Tables and chairs to the front, sheep and goat heads in a pile on the floor next to our table and the cooking to the other side. Service is efficient and quick; paper table mat, coca cola, bread basket followed by hot tagine in 5 mins. All the other tables full of men chatting and eating a shared plate of food piled high in the middle of the table with their right ( Islam) hands!
2nd Jan Sun
Night was spent in Tiznit in the “Hotel de Paris”...sounds grand but it was what we would term ‘adequate’! In Guelmim we were offered 6000 euros for the old car by a Mauritanian. Said we could sell it for that once there!! In UK it is worth £300. Well we want to get to Timbuctou so on we go! This man also suggested we bought tea to trade with in Mauritania. Said we could buy petrol with tea. So we bought 8 pkts of tea ( 2 kilos) for 3.5 euro each pkt. Will let you know how the trading goes! Clive is trying to sell his old mobile phone too. We need this distraction as the road now gets dull. Stony desert, straight road, some trucks, Mercedes taxis and silly travellers. We had hoped to stop before Tarfaya but the hotel was full and so we had to plug on to Layoune. Saw camels, did some more videoing from the sunroof of the car but still getting the car bonnet in the picture!!
Other teams not far behind. We think most teams will get to Dakhla tomorrow night, cars willing. We have checked the oil , it needs some but we have now done over 2000 miles without a top up. Heard that a team in an earlier group has completely broken down 400 kms from Bamako.....message was ‘could he leave it in the desert!’. One of our team members is still in Rabat...he has some catching up to do.
3rd Jan Mon
“”The old car headed south out of Layoune, purring along at 60 mph so as not to kill the old engine. The stony desert stretched out in the sunshine to the horizon, flat as a pancake except for the odd pile of rocks dotted here and there. The detritus of vehicles littered each side of the tarmac as it stretched out ahead in the desert mirage. Every now and then was a foul smell...dead camel, or as we came to think, rotting fish liquid from where fish filled lorries stop and some of the melting ice /blood/oil spills out and on to the ground. You could see pools of something dark. The only excitement was camels when the passenger in the car would stand up on the front seat and try and take photos/video out of the sunroof!
Nowhere to stop apart from Boujdour and the odd filling station in the 330 miles it takes to reach Dakhla and Colin and Freya. The old car has now covered 2500 miles of its 4000 mile journey and looks as good as it was when it set off. Bit dusty
.6th Jan Thurs
We have set off again after our stay with Colin and Freya in Dakhla. They were very kind and let us stay 3 nights. Big thank you to them. Colin kindly took us into the desert for one whole day where we enjoyed the peace and quiet, the birds, and some of the quirks of the Sahara. It is not all flat, nor all sand and we even found some water in the form of a small pond. Glad is was not a really hot day!
Met some of the teams as they began reaching Dakhla and saw the rest this morning before we set off. One team is still on its way to Dakhla and will reach there tonight. We are 8 teams. The rest are younger, as we thought, and have separated into teams of three. One car has lost its bumper and its exhaust, one has had to replace the clutch, one has had a blowout and one person has been pickpocketed. So we are going to be leaving first and the French/Chinese team is alone ( at the moment) at the back. We are not keen on the convoy laid on for over the border as it seems it will be slow moving and the guide appears to demand various bits of money. Thus we intend to slip through the border by ourselves tomorrow and perhaps wait for the rest to catch up in Nouakshott. That is the plan.....So now poised for the border at Barbas.
7th Jan Fri
The entire border crossing took about 3 hours. It was worse on the Moroccan side where a system seemed hard to fathom. Always helpful to be two endeavouring to understand the system. We needed to get through with enough time to reach Nouakchott before dark. It was a 5 hour drive after the border. No mans land was not a problem as the car lurched slowly over the rocky sandy road. We left the border at 12.45 and reached Nouakchott at 6.15 as it got dark. The Auberge Sahara beckoned, an hotel we had heard of.
Food by the road was a bit limited ie chicken and no more!! We asked for eggs but no they had none. Chicken , chips and pepsi. Here at the Auberge it was fish...that was it.
Petrol expensive here...nearly £1 a litre. Car has now notched up 3000 miles. All well. We had to give some of our little “presents “ to various police at the good half dozen checkpoints on the Nouakchott road who asked for cadeaux. We have filled the locker of the car with some of the little things we were given by Gloria and Johnsons. Particularly good are a little colouring pack which look like a kind of tube. We have a boxful which is really good. It is really rather silly giving grown men little colouring sets as a “present”but it worked!! We hope to hand more of these children’s things directly to children now that we are in one of the poorest countries.
Several cyclists here who have made the 1500 mile trip down through the desert. They mostly get a tail wind which helps. Most of them are on their way to Cape Town. We hear from one of them that the French Ambassadeur has been shot in Bamako . We are headed to Bamako.! And Timbuctou!
8th Jan Sat
Relaxed day in Nouakchott. Very spread out place, huge wide filthy streets on grid pattern. We taxi ride in, find some little shacks selling tourist trinkets. Wander some more and take another taxi ride in the most dilapidated Mercedes taxi imaginable. Windows stuck shut ( its hot), rope handle on door, back of seats missing, engine struggling, screen with plenty of cracks, wheel bearings going, steering jiggling etc. It stalled at one point so we ran backwards down the hill we had struggled to get up, in order to bump start it. Later we(us in the taxi) were stopped by the police .Drivers insurance appeared to be out of order.! We felt sorry for him...he had struggled to find the way , was fined the cost of our ride by the police and was virtually out of fuel!!
Clive has had the car washed...it no longer looks the part. Just hope it gets dusty again
.
9th Jan Sun
Happy Birthday Clive. Left Nouakchott at crack of dawn as we have a long day on a supposedly dangerous road and must make town by nightfall. In the dawn light we drive carefully to avoid animals and people and cars with no lights. The road is potholed in places but in the 350 miles we do today, it is mostly very good. Potholes, though , are deep and could do damage. It was difficult at one point to watch the road for potholes and the verge/countryside for animals. These were donkeys, camels, cows and goats. There was a great deal of road kill, many carcasses in places, just left to decay. Where are the vultures?
The countryside was sandy with dunes but trees dotted around and scrub. It gradually looked greener and at times even like savannah. Small villages in the valleys ...they were either tents or little 2 room boxes/houses made of breezeblock. They like the colour blue for roofs and the tents are always lined with decorative cloth. In the towns everything was filthy.Dirty streets, dirty cars, houses, people, goods, and rubbish everywhere. The Tuaregs and Saharaese look amazing in their blue or white flowing robes. They are clean! Some ladies looked okay in their colourful dresses. Goats everywhere, donkeys pulling carts.
We found a cafe in one town. It was empty. We asked what they had in the way of food. Seemed to have nothing. We asked for an omelette. Took ages....they had to go shopping for the eggs first! On the whole cafes do not exist. Finally arriving in Kiffa, another filthy chaotic place , we had difficulty finding a place to stay. It was nearly a night in the car! Clive so reluctant to do that! Given we are in hostile territory probably not the thing to do anyway. We eventually found an hotel...it was quite empty, and neglected but open!
Mauritania not that cheap. We have virtually run out of the local money...again! No worry, somebody will want to change some euros.There will certainly not be any ATM’s in town!
Car...well it is so far amazing..touch wood.
10th Jan Mon
Gina’s birthday!
Last night we stayed in the empty hotel looked after by a caretaker who cooked us a meal that we ate at a table in the hallway of this quite big hotel. Chicken and chips!! No drink, soft or water! Only guests. Tonight,in Mali, we have found a place run by an entrepreneur in the middle of town. Shared bathroom with what look like prostitutes, plus six swiss travellers. It was the only spot and the Mali man is doing a great job. It is in a faded crumbling French colonial house with a great balcony ( about to collapse through lack of maintenance), where you can sit and look at the street life in the market across the road. If this was Mauritania the place would be dead by dark but here half the people are NOT Islamic and more fun is being had!! We had a beer each ( wine a stretch too much) and celebrated reaching Mali. Chicken and spaghetti tonight....very scrawny chicken.
Clive tried to shop for some cheese but forget it....no dairy industry even from the mass of goats. The longlife milk we bought comes from Germany. The bread is good and Clive fancied something on it...there has been no butter since Northern Morocco.
Road was very bad in parts today. First it was dirt road and then tarmac with loads of deep potholes where progress was slower than dirt road. Then things improved again. Car now done it and reached Mali. One more day to Bamako. However, since the car has done so well it is going to take us to Timbuctou before we hand it over in Bamako.
Needing to change money we were directed to the pharmacy..where else would you expect change!!? There is a brand new ATM machine but it would not work for me. No internet, mobile does work, donkeys and goats wander the streets and people live/sleep in their market stalls. Car is being guarded as usual. Children now a pest asking for “cadeaux”.
11th Jan Tues
Woken to the sound of donkeys braying...and the water pipes vibrating. The guarded car still there, amidst various bodies picking themselves up and starting a new day from their shacks.
Have to get a Laisser Passer from the Douane at the edge of town; then we can head on to Bamako. Its a peage road! Single carriageway but we have to get a ticket for the sum of about 70p. After a while we realise we are on the main truck route from Senegal to Bamako. Lots of oil tankers but very few cars, so overtaking not a problem on this good fairly straight ( boring!) road .Some excitement is had when looking at all the broken down trucks on the road. There is no hard shoulder and when trucks breakdown they have to be fixed right there...there is no breakdown truck system. Drivers may help each other but sometimes its days by the road fixing a major breakdown . Today there were many wheel related cases but the most amazing was a coach/bus that had its engine out on the road! . Mauritania has more cars than Mali, but they are very old; Mali has much fewer cars but many more mopeds. Country people have donkeys, horses and some bicycles, then there are mopeds and cars only near towns. Petrol relatively expensive in both...about 80p per litre.
Countryside still unproductive and dry. More birds in Mali than Mauritania and pretty ones. Trees get bigger and bigger as we near Bamako....huge Baobab trees and others with red flowers. No more police stops....getting to be a real bore in Mauritania, happier smiling people who want to wave. Proud male horsemen riding horses, all dressed up in bright clothing, looking good on nice horses. Women walking with loads on their heads, brightly dressed.
We cannot find food but settle for a drink at a drink stall with some lads including one from Senegal. We eat tins of sardines we have bought for emergency use; on bread bought by one of the boys. We end up handing out some of our colouring books, pencils etc presents. They actually say thank you.
We made it to Bamako, official end of this rally. Car ....!! We are going to Timbuctou!!
12th jan Wed
Met the guys from a team in the group before us. They had failed to reach Timbuctou because their clutch failed. Another team who had come in an old ambulance, went via Senegal and had their entry to Mali in the old ambulance denied so its languishing on the Senegal border forever! One of them had also had a pedestrian accident with a moped and cut his head (needing stitches.).
13th Jan Thurs
Just back from another gourmet meal of chicken and chips and fish with spaghetti! I have now had spaghetti 3 nights running, The fish tasted of mud, just like carp but much smaller and the chicken was another leggy bird. We are in Djenne which is on the way to Timbuctou from Bamako.
Djenne is on an island in the Niger River basin. It has not changed in several centuries and is a world heritage site and is Mali’s pre eminent tourist site...so says my guide book. It is a town built of mud and has a grand mosque that is the largest mud structure in the world.; also the most beautiful mud structure too! We turned off the main road to reach here : on the map it depicted a 29km stretch of tarmac road so we were very surprised to end up driving down an earth bank to a tiny ferry. Boarding was okay but getting the car off the other side looked hairy....the ramp went steeply down into about 2 ft of water and a 10 yd stretch to the bank. Clive inched the car down till the radiator was half in the water and then had to go for it. I thought the back would ground but it didn’t and all was okay. But what about the return tomorrow? Clive thinks the car won’t make it through the water and up. There are other cars here so presumably we will manage!!
We had a long day getting here after our 24hrs in Bamako. Three of our teams arrived and two are now ahead of us trying to reach Timbuctoo as well. One is a Merc driven fast by its young driver. He managed to write two tyres off on the potholes in Mauritania.The other car, a Peugeot 205 has some kind of oil leak,,clutch or brakes. They are hoping to get to Timbuctou tomorrow night. In theory we should meet them coming back as we head in the day after.
All three teams had had problems entering Mali. Not sure where they went wrong but their cars were impounded for the night by the police. They had to camp on the border. The other 4 teams are miles behind still in Mauritania.
The countryside is very bushy in parts with some lovely big trees but all of it is so dry that you wonder how any of the villages feed themselves. Some very traditional villages with mud houses and strange round (stores?).Others a mixture of modern brick and mud. Lots of donkey, and round here, horse carts. Life is hard but the women look so very colourful in their bright clothing and head dresses.
14th Jan Fri
We took a quick walk around Djenne after getting rid of the man who had picked us up, so to speak, the day before. The locals are all desperate to earn from the tourist and try to guide us around. That done we had to fight off all the sellers of trinkets. I ended up buying some beads to show other sellers I had bought! The place was interesting , the whole concept of living in a mud town designed before electricity and drainage etc, and then trying to incorporate these things. One has to say they were failing on drainage and rubbish.
The ferry was not so bad and the car went on okay. I have some video footage!
We are now in Doggon country. A quick read of the book which explains some of the different shape mud houses we’ve seen. Fantastic colourful clothing on the people. Camels coming back in as we head north again on our way to Timbuctou. We reach Douentza. Timbuctou is now about 200 kms away but the road is bad and we should be in a 4x4 instead of an 18yr 2 wheel drive old car. We have heard nothing from the other two teams ahead of us.
15th Jan Sat
We have made it....we are in Timbuctou, or however you spell it!! It seems to have different spellings. The inside of the boot of the car has red dust in it, my suitcase has dust in it where it has come through the zip ! Red dust has come up through the bottom of the car, its everywhere!! But the car made it. Its silencer got dislodged at some point either getting on or coming off the ferry. ( we fixed it) . Both times the car grounded on the ramp of the boat. We shared the ferry with some goats, 7 sheep and 4 or 5 cows...all loose but keeping to their groups. The ferry ride was longer than expected, about 45 mins chugging up the Niger.
The 200 kms of road had severe corrugations! Poor car, felt sorry for it as we rattled terribly. No speed is good and slow is no better than a bit faster. 4x4,s go at about 60mph in a huge cloud of dust, we went along at about 35mph in a lesser cloud. There were sandy patches but not really a problem except for one place at the end where there was a deviation round a piece of water. We had been told to keep left. I got out to check the way through the sand when a soldier driving a Mercedes (!) came along; he ploughed through the bit I was checking and then stopped for us. We then followed him at high speed , weaving in and out of bushes in the sand. We glimpsed a bus stuck in the sand before we arrived back at the road proper. The soldier had indeed helped. How are we going to get back through it tomorrow without his help?
We met the other two teams on their way back from Timbuctou, in the middle of the piste! One car had gone through two more wheels/tyres and said his back shocks were gone and the other had just lost half his exhaust. But they were happy , they had made it!
We are now in an hotel run by Brits...a couple who set out a year ago to travel, reached here and bought an hotel!!! Timbuctou is not dying , neither is it being completely swallowed by sand. It is dirty, it is dusty, noisy and busy, Tourist trade has dried up because of the security threats. French tourists staying away, and they are the main stay. This is the tourist season but we have observed that it is very quiet tourist wise.
Very poor countryside on our way. Dry ,sparse; how the animals manage to feed I do not know.
So, aim has been achieved. Now we have to head back to Bamako, possibly via Doggon country to have a look see there. Clive in the meantime is trying to sell the car here and chatting away in his Arabic.!!
16th Jan Sun
We left by 8.30am having seen most of the town yesterday afternoon as we drove around trying to sell the car. Mud houses, more modern houses etc. Much more interesting at the ferry . It was right at the end of a causeway. Some people live there permanently. We had just missed the ferry which does not have a timetable. This meant a whole lot of hassle. Our car was surrounded by a whole lot of begging filthy snivelling children, their noses pressed up against our mostly shut windows. In front of our parked car were a group of women who were much more interesting. They were from some ethnic group who were handsome ( I thought). One started breastfeeding her child...no problems! We had various gifts still in the car...drawing crayons, books etc. We naively gave some out thinking the children would now disappear only to be besieged by more. Clive got out and wandered off and I tried to sit it out by playing a game on my phone and ignoring the cries of “madam” and the snotty noses on the window. Eventually I gave up too and wandered off , followed by my entourage of children to watch a lovely local boat being loaded with marble slabs.
A ferry came in eventually and promptly broke down. We watched the repairs to the alternator/fanbelt but it seemed to fail. Slightly in despair we then spotted another ferry coming in,,,thank goodness! By now it is 4 hours after getting here. We give out more “cadeaux” to the children as we finally board...some of them seem to follow us on board!!! Peace on the ferry finally as we make a cup of tea from the back of our car and watch the Niger river and its river bank inhabitants go by. All t5he locals on the boat are dressed in anoraks...they think it is cold while we think it is warm/hot!!!
The road back to Douentza was a relentless battering on the car.We negotiated the tricky bit around the lake again by following another vehicle....I hung out of the sunshine roof trying to video as Clive drove. We are now feeling quite loyal to it..whilst it now does not matter if it breaks down I think we both feel we would like to get it back to Bamako in one piece. It got us to Timbuctou... a dream since we saw the sign in Zagora in Morocco saying “42 days to Tombuctou by camel”.
We arrived back to the “campment” that we were in two days ago only to find another Mercedes there. It belongs to one of the teams that we met on the way...the one that had broken shocks. It had been towed in from about half way. It looked really sad, sunk on its back suspension and abandoned. Testimony to driving recklessly for too long. Our older car had made it! We were warmly welcomed back!! The oldies had made it, some of the young had failed.
Here is what the team driver of the Mercedes had to say” Good to hear she was recovered!
She is in a sorry state though... we caught a large rock reversing out of
the hotel in Douenza and didn't realise we had a fuel leak until 20km from
the Timbuktu Ferry...
The day after, we were going slowly to avoid further issues and both the
rear shocks didn't take the strain (one first, then the next). With the
absorbers gone, the other components had to take the strain... we ended up
bending just about everything, and the wheel was essentially in the boot.
We unbent everything with a bottle jack and large rob of steel... but it
was substantially weaker... So we called Sunny, who advised us to attempt
to get to Douenza and sell the car there... we tried (very hard) but around
17:00 I was driving on 3 wheels and a rim (the tyre blew out from rubbing
against the inside arch and suspesion bits) and this led to the drive-axle
snapping as well as something in the gearbox detaching. At that point, we
made the difficult choice to ditch the car - we didn't want to be in the
dark on the "offroad" segment to Douenza! “
17th Jan Mon
The wind is blowing and the air is full of dust...very fine! Glad we are not heading into the desert. The car did look a little down on one side at the back as we packed but once we started up, the suspension sorted itself out. Maybe we have a small leak in the air assisted system....it would not be a big surprise.... Clive pumped up the tyres we had let down a bit for the hard corrugations of the days before. Without much bother we reached Segou: a long day, but we have ended up in a nice spot very near the River Niger
.19th Jan Wed
We drove back from Segou to Bamako easily enough and booked in to the Colobris hotel. We met Sonny, the guy to whom the car should be handed over. In the meantime Clive is trying to sell the car!!! Met a couple from the first wave of teams. They have been holidaying in Mali after getting here in a little white van. Tried to change our flight to an earlier day but all flights full so are going to have to sit it out. Could have chosen a better spot but this hotel does have a swimming pool so doing lengths to regain some fitness
.All of the countries in Africa have their own identity and Mali and Mauritania are no different. Here in Mali it has been very friendly, not bothered by police checks on the road , lovely vibrant colourful ladies with their matching head dresses or just brilliant coloured cloths wrapped around, men in their flowing robes ( again in good colours), the rubbish ( seen worse), the begging children , the filth and life in the streets and finally the dry countryside where a huge majority of the population are subsistence farming. I understand that many of the different ethnic groups mix well and live together including the Muslims and Christians. ( it is 80% muslim). Dogon country is more unique and they are still animists there! The Nomads in the north are the worry as they are not so happy and Al queda has a foothold.
Mauritania was much more controlled, police checks everywhere, tight muslim society, no alcohol, still colourful but not so relaxed.
Both have fairly expensive petrol , 1 euro per litre, and cars are sought after by the elite whilst the poor ride donkeys. Mali seems to have Libyan backing as well as Chinese. China seems to be supplying cheap mopeds galore( as well as much more). Mauritania did not seem to be getting so much support ( I could be wrong!)
Sunny, who is the guy in charge of auctioning all our cars, is a Rotarian ( the governor this year) and runs his own engineering company involved in energy. Mali only has enough electricity for 20% of the population at the moment. We think our car will be auctioned this Saturday. It takes place in the car park of one of the smart hotels.
Clive will probably say that Bamako is a dump. It is filthy in parts but it will change, I am sure. Tourism is negligible right now. Real downside is air quality....pollution and dust.
21st Jan Fri
This is our last day. Getting into lazy style, lying in bed etc.The hotel is in a compound, we are in what they call a bungalow. Plenty of men hang around, occasionally doing little jobs like sweeping the parking area, cleaning cars. There are lots of mango trees dropping their ripe mangos on the car roofs...bang, splish and then you have ripe mango on clean car!! We asked for a mango yesterday but these guys are very swift at picking them up and making them disappear amongst all their mates etc. Probably selling them so we did not get a free one until I found one near our bungalow !!
Over the wall from the swimming pool is a small allotment type piece of land where boys are tending very tidy strips of herbs. They are meticulous and water constantly from wells which are just deep holes in the ground into which they lower a bucket on a rope. They are working hard.
We have made little sortees round town and to a cafe down the road , different eating places etc. Tourist food is not cheap but there is a huge gap between that and local food from a filthy stall
.24th Jan Mon
On our last day we met a man working for an aid organisation who kindly suggested we go to a concert with him at the French cultural institute in the evening . As we had a very late fligh,t that worked well for us and we watched/listened to a Kora ( long knecked harp/lute made from a gourd) being played by a Mali man accompanied by a Frenchman playing a cello! Strange combination but it worked.
One of our flights home had just 10 passengers including us. So relieved that it flew! A very empty 737.
The car should have been auctioned by now. We will try and find out what it made.
Thurs 7th April
We have been quietly planning this trip for some time! Probably hatched about 2 years ago as a "Lets go London to Beijing on our bikes". Unfortunately the Beijing China bit has had to go due to the enormous cost. Essentially China requires that all foreign vehicles have a guide. We wanted to have 4 weeks crossing China so that meant minimum cost per day $150 x28 days = $4000 + and plus expenses, permits, licenses etc and growing! It was getting stupid however much we wanted to do it. We know that you can fly to China and buy a chinese bike and set off without any guide etc so they would be just ripping off those of us on our own bikes.Thus we are planning a return trip and doing a loop...outbound southerly route and homewards a more northerly route. It is going to encompass many of the "Stans" but not Afghanistan or Pakistan! We set off in a week's time.We have had a fairly tricky time getting 7 visas, sometimes going to london twice in a week. Some of the embassies wanted visits in person, some had to have letters of invitation, one country required a road permit on the visa, some could be expressed, some not , some were cheap and some expensive! But we are almost there...daughter Emma is picking my passport up this morning from Azerbajan I hope!Clive is going on his old BMW adventure bike, the one that went round South America, whilst I have a newer bike with same size engine as my last. It is however shorter and lighter. I have new panniers!We will be setting off with three extra tyres each, loading us down to start with. Two knobbly tyres for the dirt roads and one spare road tyre. The latter is because we have some fairly worn out tyres on our bikes! You cannot buy tyres on the way except in Europe.Packing has begun in various "piles".There is a link at the top of this diary which takes you to a web page that shows where we are via a new GPS thing we have. IT WILL NOT START WORKING UNTIL WE SET OFF. Once we do you should be able to follow our route. (We might test it out before we set off)
Fri 15th April
Had a practice run to Wells and back with the bikes loaded up. See photo!! Look horrendously overloaded but really its tyres. One will go in Istanbul and then the others when we run out of tarmac and put the knobbly ones on.
Sun 17th April
Woke early, more apprehensive about the trip rather than excited. On reflection this evening think that that is because the first week is through Europe which we have been to many times before . I will be excited in Istanbul!! My son Sam came up on Friday night on his bike and so this morning he accompanied us some of the way to Dover as he headed back to London. That was nice. We look very loaded with the tyres but once on the move all is well. Beautiful morning, apple blossom in Kent nearly in full flower and the countryside everywhere looking green. Yellow rape fields, as that comes into flower. I have not got my gadgets quite right...camera mount keeps moving and the camera sits all skew. I now have a video camera as well and I could not see if it was on or off and ended up filling its memory card with 1 1/2 hours of very boring motorway riding ( now deleted). This needs sorting!! Then I have the Spot gadget as well that has to sit somewhere so that it can see the sky ( satellites) Clive has the GPS whilst we both have maps. He has a better camera but it cannot be used from the handlebars. Thoughts were quite relaxed. What have I forgotten ( spare camera). Such a nice weather day to set off in...... Bum gets a bit numb before we arrive near Charleroi in Belgium, wrists a bit achy but all normal for day one.
Mon 18th April
Another beautiful day, cold however as we set off at 8.30am. Head off across Luxembourg and into Germany on motorway. Nothing interesting but a means to an end. ...using motorways to get across Europe fairly quickly so we can enjoy the important bits later!! Clive says the motorways here are more enjoyable than the UK. Tried with the video again, this time using a remote turn on and off. Managed to get it completely wrong thinking on was off and vice versa. Third day of testing needed. We found that we are in a district of Germany called Swabia after we were offered Swabian food on the menu tonight. Food with sauces and spetzal seem to be favourite!!
Tues 19th April
After 2 hours we were entering Austria and off the motorway! Things were beginning to get more fun. Saw 2 birds of prey sitting on their posts and farmers were out in their fields. It would appear to be dry...like back home. Due to our /my meanness we stayed off the motorway in Austria as you have to buy a ticket for 3 months... So the main road beckoned and the Alps; snow covered still with plenty of snow looking quite fresh and not so high up .Our passes, the Fern pass and the Brenner pass were not very high and the weather was still so good that extra layers were not required. Nice roads, some traffic, and we had a good but quite long day ending up in Italy not too far from Venice. I am still struggling with the video camera. It won’t obey my thick gloved thumb or it is using more battery than the power supply from the bike. One way or another it is switching itself off!! Driving me mad. Bikes are doing great, tyres are sitting tight. This would have been quite different in the rain.!
Wed 20th April
It has been quite a swift transition in cultures from home to Germanic to Italian. Everyone so far been helpful and nice. Another, but warmer morning and we are off to Venice. NOT to sight see but to catch a ferry from the port. However this has to be such a great place to catch a ferry from as it leaves by steaming slowly past Venice including St Mark’s square. The ferry is going to take us to Igoumenista in Greece. For the price of an hotel room we have a very spacious cabin with sea view. The cost of both bikes and ourselves is less than petrol , motorway tolls, and another night, so this way is a no brainer.
Thurs 21st April
We arrive in Igoumenista about 2pm and set off into the greek mountains heading towards Thessalonika . The sun is shining ( but I hear it is just as good back home!) and it is about 21c. Lots of Judas trees with their gorgeous purple blossom. My mother says hers are in blossom too back home. It would seem that England is just as warm as here particularly if I tell you that there is snow on the mountain tops. Highest peak on the map is about 2300m so this snow is lying between 1500 and 2000m. So far south... Konistra is our destination for the night, a village up on the hillside. We immediately find a great place with rooms to let. It has a great view of mountains with snow on the top and lower slopes with the flowering Judas trees. The place is full of locals on their very noisy mopeds.Mopeds I guess, because petrol is the most expensive we have come across yet. Made a mistake thinking here would be cheaper petrol than Italy...wrong... Anyway the locals who live here have to go up and down steep hills on their little 50cc mopeds so they have taken out the silencers to improve performance. Even older ladies are riding noisy machines. No one has a crash helmet on either. EU equal laws?? We walk further on up the hill to eat. Clive a bit huffing and puffing but good for us both. Meet two boys, as one does, and one was a Pakistani and the other was from Guyana in Africa and they were together, in a little greek town! Find a greek restaurant eventually after 2 pizzerias and one crepe place. Slowly realising that I am on a bike trip....still feeling a bit unreal. PS. The video camera is behaving at last...think it uses more battery than gets recharged so had a flat battery the other day. It is being charged from the bike........... But wondering where I am going to store all these big video files. Should have brought some large storage thing.....
Fri 22nd April Good Friday
Cold , 8c, but sunny as we set off for nearly two hours on a great windy mountain main road with no traffic. Realise later that possibly everyone else is on the motorway that is not on my old map. We thought it was because it’s Good Friday. Had a great stop for breakfast in a cafe with all the old men looking at us...omelette with sausages in it ( bit greasy). That was after we had ridden past snow at 1500m ! Later for lunch we stopped at some van parked on a bit of waste ground and had a roll and Coca Cola. All the men there were very friendly but were possibly not Greek but Bulgarian perhaps. Poor for sure, some of them: others lorry drivers having Good Friday off. Motorway again but probably for the best as we headed for Thessaloniki and then on to Kavala for the night. We popped on and off it. Decided tonight to head for Gallipoli instead of Istanbul. Then read the guide and found out that Anzac Day is Monday 25th April ie 2 days time.! Apparently it then becomes infested with people . Will we be able to slip through??
Sat 23rd April
Had a good local fish meal last night. This morning it is cold, 12c at sea level with a bitter NE wind. Greek countryside, small farms, quite green, some mess, plenty of scrap loitering round small holdings, few roaming dogs, no wind farms, no solar panels. All fairly laid back as we head to the border with Turkey. It takes about an hour the Turkey side. With a bit of guidance at the beginning we would not have had to go backwards to get documents. In the end our bikes were blocking a coach who had finished the process. 30 euros each to get through, 15 for visa and 15 for 3 months insurance . We head down the Gallipoli peninsular. It is bitter cold. Crops slightly more forward than UK. We want to see Anzac Cove but when we get to the turn off it is blocked by police. They are having some run/walk on the road and we must wait for 2 hours. We tried another way but could not get through so I am afraid had to skip Anzac Cove. Carried on and caught the ferry across the Dardenelles from Eceabat to Canakkale. This was a fast ferry across a small but very busy stretch of water. We were parked on the ferry next to the ambassador for Australia in his chauffeur driven vehicle with his wife. They grandly put the electric window down to speak to us ( and then wound it up again). Preparing themselves for Anzac Day on Monday. Asian Turkey. We have reached Asia!! I hate the dual carriage ways they have made of the main roads; a great scar through the landscape, of concrete road in a fairly straight line, by- passing all villages. The motorist sees nothing and it all comes across as so sterile. You get along fairly well but see only the bigger picture, no minutae. I think it happens less as we head east. The quality of the dual carriageway is not great. Suddenly after leaving Greece you realise this is different. On the carriageway are sheep being herded, children on bicycles, tractors and people, cars doing u turns.. The surface is very patched and bumpy. Roadworks everywhere...we have arrived in Asia. An Englishman chats to us in Canakkale. The weather is abnormal...you have our weather and we have yours.You should be having the NE winds and 10c and Turkey should be 20c and with southerly winds. ! Today is Childrens Day here...a holiday day. Lots of flags are flying and the navy is in town. We end the day in Biga, a town we have not heard of. We asked a moped rider to lead us to an hotel. We would not have found this ourselves. Old wooden building, high ceilinged rooms and good cheap meal with a serenading group!! Could not have asked for more..motorbikes in car park underneath.
Sun 24th April
Easter Day Happy Easter. Not much sign of easter here..instead we are woken by the wailing from the mosque. We leave our nice old room with the very high ceiling and head into the cold. It hovers around 10c all day. Sometimes we are quite high up ( end the day at 900m) but the same biting north wind is there. Lovely in the sun out of the wind. The petrol price is rather horrifying... as I had dreaded....its about £1.70 per litre. Turkey’s petrol was very expensive last time we were here too. It is a big country so many miles to do. We are now going along more slowly ( fuel economy too) enjoying the views. Road surface gets better, but dual carriageway cuts through the land. Great looking fertile soil and farmers are out on their quite small tractors. The land looks quite wet. A high range of mountains loom with plenty of snow on top and the weather threatens but then all change and the sun shines again. We stop and have a cup of tea in Eskisehir. A young man on a BMW stops and talks and then guides us to a motorbike shop for I am a little worried about how long my front brake pads will last. The shop take them off but they have no new ones. They assure me that mine will last for 10,000kms yet. Worry later!! A policeman on his bike joins us and we all chat. Along comes someone with cups of tea and we have a good time chatting/tea drinking . One photo and off we all go! Couple of rather concrete towns later and we find a spot to stay in Polatli near Gordion,( capitol of the ancient Phrygia ). It was commented on in the message board that modern travel entails electronics...this is very true for us as we do need to stay in touch for we are not retired! We also have communications between helmets to charge so each night there are things to charge up. We can go camping though...I can charge everything from the bike as it has two electric sockets. If only every charging lead and plug were universal! I carry a small bag of plugs and another with leads in. Hit lucky tonight on the eating front,,,found a huge municipal like cafe/restaurant, lots of waiters and good food though no alcohol....muslims!
Mon 25th April
We stopped for breakfast after a while. Large cafeteria by a petrol station which is usual for here. We were the only people but had 3 people waiting on us. Asking for an omelette the chef cooked it, the next man brought it (and the coffee/tea etc) and then the third man cleared away. All three were hovering around all the time. Chef was a bit bothered he had to cook for he would have rather carried on Japanese girls on the telly. As Clive will comment...jobs for the boys and demarcation of jobs is very prevalent amongst muslims. Apparently Turkey if finally tiring of its love affair with concrete. Many of their small old houses are left to fall into ruin while the people move into concrete blocks of flats or houses like boxes. But that has now slowed and some are realising the value of keeping their old houses going. The Ottoman houses are particularly nice. Ride across large expanses of farm land and rolling hills. Heavy wet soil , fields being cultivated but moorland above. We are high and cold all day, about 1000m and more. We head for Urgup in Cappodocia. This is a fascinating part of Turkey where people have carved out homes in little volcanic plugs. After much circling of the town ...spoilt for choice on the hotel front.....we settle on one and are staying here for two nights.
Tues 26th April
Do a thorough tour of Cappodocia circling it twice on our bikes because at one point Clive’s bike got a flat battery because he had left his electric seat on! Think we have really done the area! Later in the afternoon we toured all the tyre changing places in Urgup till we found a suitable one and have now each changed one quite bald tyre for a slightly better tyre....for me that was the front and for Clive the back. Now we hope to do about 1500 miles till we put on our new “knobblies” that we are still carrying. If you ride on tarmac with them they wear out very quickly hence cannot put them on yet. Still the bikes are now a wee bit lighter. Weather was bitter first thing, 6c, but now much improved and sunny again.
Wed 27th April
Stopped to get some teabags last night from a shop selling dried fruit etc. Had some delicious looking Turkish delight in all shapes and sizes , some sun dried apricots putting hunza apricots to shame, and some amazing red jelly/delight thing made of pomegranate with pistachio nuts in it . Would like to have bought lots of things. It is warmer but the forecast is rain tomorrow, even further east. Enjoy today which we did. After Kayseri we never went below 1500m. Snow lay at 1800m; we went past Mt Erciyes which is 3917m all covered in snow and looking great; over a pass at 2200m and several other lesser passes; huge views and huge valleys bordered by snowy mountain tops. We did a bit of an intentional loop but managed to take the wrong road and did many more minor loops and many more miles than desired! High tech we maybe in some ways but we like maps and do not follow a GPS particularly. Getting lost is part of the trip and through several very rural villages we went today. One road got narrower and narrower until it ended in a muddy footpath. Back we had to go. Roads empty of traffic so once we were going in the right direction all was good. Very rural, not many people here ..the locals are all dressed in baggy muslim trousers, including the women, though some of them wear long skirts. All women in headscarfs. We head for some thermal hot springs at Kangal.
Thurs 28th April
I wrote this day up yesterday but something went wrong with saving! There still is something wrong with my computer so having to write instantly here. Between 8 and 9pm last night Clive and I went swimming in a thermal pool with a whole load of little fish who are remarkable for being able to live in hot water. This thermal place is a healing spot for psoriasis and other skin problems. The water has Selenium in it and the fish nibble away at your rough skin. They seemed to love our feet in particular and they did home in on any odd spot, excema etc.. It was vaguely uncomfortable with the fish hitting you like small electric shocks. Some fish were bigger than others. We have too long a day! We had set ourselves a goal a bit too far away. First bit of road was across some mountains on a secondary road. We managed to lose the way and did a bit of a wander at one point ending up going along a smaller and smaller road till it ended in a muddy footpath. Turn around! High tech we maybe but we do like maps and are happy to ask the way. This is big open countryside with huge valleys, huge hills, snow at times, green at times, brown, rocky. Locals are farmers, poor with probably tractors for transport. It was very scenic. Finally reach Erzincan, do some main road and then take off up the mountains again, after filling up with more expensive petrol. You are always asked ( at the petrol stations) if you would like a “chi”. Very friendly and free, sitting down at a table outside. The “chi/tea” is without milk and quite bitter without sugar. My sugar intake has risen! This final road of the day....the step too far...was a great ride, climbing passes over 2000m, huge snow clad mountains to our side and snow lying beside us (over 1800m). Eventually we reach Ipsir, hotels but no parking but back down the road a bit are some cabins (IDOS)beside a raging river and we hit success for the night.
Fri 29th April...royal wedding day.
We believe we have an easier day so set off leisurely after breakfast at about 10am only to be confronted by a dirt road, with construction lorries and a wet slippery surface to keep the dust down. Not the road we expected! The road is being diverted higher up from this narrow rocky defile of a valley because they are building a number of barrages across the raging river that accompanies us. Huge construction project. We took 2.5 hours to do the first 50 miles. Might seem rather hopeless but at one point we had to go through a dark tunnel newly constructed but with a road that looked like fresh, sloppy cement about 9 inches thick. I was very tense!!! The bikes wobbled around, it was darkish with lorries coming the other way. Clive in front put his hazard lights on which helped me as I kept my eyes on them. I did a big wobble at the end but survived falling off into a gravelly, muddy, soup. That would have been vile, in the dark, with the lorries. It eventually improved but we were with the construction project for over 100 miles.Twice we had to stop while they blasted the hill sides. That is where we learnt of this huge project to build 15 barrages across the rivers. The river beside us was raging, Clive called it violent and aggressive. It would certainly have given a rafter the ride of his life without stop for 100 miles.We have ended up in a cabin again, this time up in more mountains at 1500m.The view is lovely, like Switzerland but it was raining a bit as we arrived. We settled in and Clive managed to find BBC World news and so we have just watched highlights of the Royal wedding.
Sat 30 th April
We have had a few hiccups with the Spot gadget. Its batteries started running out yesterday...thought they would last a lot longer. Did bring some spares but not sure they were all okay but think its working now. Tried shopping for more lithium batteries here in T'bilisi tonight but none to be found. Alkaline it will have to be.Our cabin last night was good and off we went to Georgia. We climbed two passes on the way, the last one at 2550m being the highest so far. Road good, weather kind ( no rain),lovely scenery, border easy .Hard life at over 1500m with winter for at least 6 months. Poor, but with tractors, whilst the Georgians over the border had no tractors and were planting potatoes by hand in the fields. Whole families out helping. Our route to T'bilisi takes one of the main routes through Georgia so was most prosperous. Off that route/valley life is poor and tough. Many buildings look quite decayed yet are lived in. Huge great stone buildings horribly neglected yet used. Otherwise its green and beautiful, lovely tree clad mountains, pretty valleys. Nice to see trees after the bleak treeless mountains in Turkey. We got petrol, now only 85p per litre, half the price of Turkey.We went through a town we stayed in 6 years ago. We went past the hotel but it has ceased and we also checked out a large hole in the road where a grid was missing 6 years ago..very dangerous to motorcycles....it was still missing!!
Sun 1st May
Did not start that well with the hotel demanding payment in local money ( larats) whilst quoting a price in dollars last night. We have dollars but not many larats as leaving Georgia today. I am quite sure they diddled us.We reach the border with Azerbajan pretty quickly. Out of Georgia no problems but then spent over two hours in one office at Azerbajan side trying to get paperwork sorted for the bikes. We were fine, have visas, but bikes needed one little form filled in by us. He gave us two to do in duplicate. We made crossings out and so he sent us off again. Then he said I only needed one anyway. He wanted bribing I think...we watched plenty of bribes going into pockets...but he seemed nice enough at first so we didn't. Much waste of time AND we found that the clock had gone forward another hour. That was 2 hours forward in two days. With the clock going forward we spent over 3 hours on the border.The funny thing is that we can stay in the country for 30 days but our bikes can ony stay here for 3 days!Set off in to rain. Green countryside, buildings much better, neater, better repair. Georgia is so full of decay. Azerbajan has oil and is richer. Several people riding horses though and donkeys are in use. Cars are sometimes poor/slow as in old Ladas! Plenty of them though.The road was under construction in places and the temporary road was horrid for us...not as bad as that turkish tunnel but nevertheless not nice. It was muddy wet stony dirt . The traffic was lurching slowly along, we got filthy and so did the bikes, see picture. It slowed us down considerably and what should have been an easy day turned into a long one. We had to endure several of these dirt sections which made us very dispirited as just when we thought we were getting along another muddy bit loomed.However the place we were heading for has not disappointed. I think the man at reception tried to put me off as I looked such a mess, wet and muddy. We are in an old, 17th century caravanseray. It has a huge doomed roof in one place which is very impressive. Outside it is once again raining!
Mon 2nd May
It rained in the night and was tipping it down as we had breakfast but had lessoned once we were all dressed up to set off. The bikes had been cleaned...Clive had organised it the evening before and they have done a good job. Our panniers had been so covered in grit the locks barely worked. The number plates were completely covered etc.In spite of the rain we had a pleasant ride through green wooded countryside a bit like France/Yugoslavia at times. Road was bumpy tarmac but improved, traffic light. All quite unlike how I had imagined. We stop at a cafe and drip our way in. I am the only female in a room full of men eating at tables...bit like a working mens club perhaps. However no problem and we soon have a bowl full of soup with meat bits, bread, plate of herbs (unchopped), and "chi". We reach Baku and eventually find where the ferry to Turkmenbashi leaves from." There might be a ferry tomorrow...turn up at 10am in the morning"; so off we go to find hotel for the night. We need to supply our own food for the ferry trip so shop for that.Baku is big, full of very modern and enormous buildings, plenty of fast moving traffic,and full of life. We manage to see the Maiden Tower and the old town, Fountain Square and some of the new buildings. I had imagined much more filth and ugliness...very pleasantly surprised.Azeris do not speak much english. Petrol is even cheaper than Georgia. Food is good if you like mutton!
Tues 3rd May
Amazingly we are already steaming across the Caspian Sea. When we were told to come back at 10am, I thought it would be the beginning of a long and possibly disappointing day. But all went along quite rapidly, ticket office.....hole in the wall place, ticket in quadruple, next mysterious office.....round the back,no uniforms, wanted money for the "bridge to the ferry",$20, form/receipt in triplicate.....then customs, then get bikes (wow), ride nearly on board but no......into another filthy office check ticket, passport, photo....and then on, next to some railway wagons. Yes, this ship is so old it can carry trains, just like the ferries of my youth. Expecting no cabin we were pleasantly surprised and have some basic bunks and interesting shared bathroom with leaking water, no loo seat and cold water supply only. Still we are not disappointed..we expected worse. There were only 6 passengers, us, a french couple on foot, and two truck drivers. The ship was quite big but almost entirely full of railway trucks carrying aluminium from Georgia. It was very quiet, we did buy some hot food ( homemade burger and mashed potato was the only choice) and went to bed early thinking up at 2am as told. Ship came in to Turkmenbashi at 7am!
Wed 4th May
Not allowed off ship for about an hour...authorities have our passports! Eventually off load and after about 2 hours of the most ridiculous paper filling and lots of dollars later we are in. Our guide has turned up and helped. We have to have a guide with us just like Libya. Our itinerary has been noted and we cannot stray. IF I had not run out of time before leaving England and we had known to apply for the letter of invitation earlier, we could have travelled through on a transit visa and no guide. Now that we have a guide we will make use of him. We have just photographed the bits of paper generated this morning coming into the country. There are 15 bits from them and 4 of our own apparently necessary. WE HAVE NO MOBILE CONTACT. The rest of the day here in Turkmenbashi. Its warm. In the evening our guide, Dima, drives us around some grandoise development schemes and the town itself. We are ready for the next day...
Thurs 5th May
We have quite far to go to get to Ashgabat by tonight. We set off behind Dima in his Nissan. The road takes us through desert. It is a bit like the northern sahara; dirty in colour , some hamada, low line of hills to the left. The road does not have much traffic but the tarmac is repaired and bumpy in places, in others it is "swampy" and we bottom out on our shock absorbers now and then. Sometimes it is better and we make good progress. Hills move from left to right and we arrive at a little attraction..an underground hot lake. Off we go , into a cave and down and down a mass of steps into near darkness; change into bathers, and on down till we see the pool. It is bath temperature and huge, 60m long, 16m deep! It is so dark I cannot see the end. There are bats overhead.No one around to see that we can swim...! Clive is not looking forward to the climb back up! Onwards another 50kms and Dima shows me round a mosque whilst Clive waits outside. It is impressively big, beautifully decorated; built in 1995. Sunni moslems here and not many go to the mosques on a normal day. This one can take 5000 people. Dima takes us into Ashgabat via a road full of official buildings. They are quite amazing...modern skyscrapers,all of them white marble faced, wonderful shapes, lots of glass, vast,all with gold writing in huge letters depicting what they are...ministry this or centre for that etc. Shortly later we turn down another road which seems to be hotel road and enormous hotels stand alone on large plots of land. Our hotel has a vast entrance hall and our room is big etc. But things are not quite so amazing when you come to work things. Get into bed and there is no switch to turn off the one central light ( no bedside lights). The duvet appears to be single in size....few plugs etc. By night all these buildings are lit up...we have been trying to take night photos. No internet...it is tightly controlled...we can go to a state run internet cafe tomorrow but we must bring our passports and all that we do will be monitored. According to our Lonely Planet guide our hotel room could be bugged..careful what we say!!! All Turkmenistanis benefit from cheap petrol ( 6 litres for £1 for us whilst the locals receive 120 litres free per month per car), virtually free electricity, gas, and water. Subsidised housing. They do not need a vast income for the rest! Older people get looked after with a state pension. However there are negative points such as censored press, restricted internet, one mobile provider which does not allow our mobiles to work with it. We are here for two nights. More on Ashgabat...it was completely flattened in an earthquake in 1948. ( two thirds of its citizens were killed, 110,000)Rebuilt by Russians and now having another rebuild with oil money.
Fri 6th May
This hotel is so not me. First breakfast does not begin till 9am. We go down and it is served in the dreadful chinese restaurant of the night before where we had dreadful food. Did I want black tea? Yes, but with milk...no milk. I go up stairs to get our milk and cannot get in to the room ...the key is faulty. As I go back down the swallows that are flying around inside the buildings crap on the stairs. The spaces here are so huge....cosy is not a word that could possibly be understood. Our large bed has a duvet that is big enough for one and does not begin to reach from edge to edge. We have now asked for another after a bad nights sleep. ( Better to be camping , Nick) . The stair carpet is falling off the marble steps because its stair rods are not maintained. Not the hotels, fault but we cannot go to the internet place because we need our passports and they have been taken away to be registered. They arrive back about 12.30pm. In the meantime we had gone for a photographic bike ride with me on the back taking photos of some of the buildings. One way and another we see a lot of the town by car in the afternoon. It is quite extraordinary with huge new spaced out buildings everywhere. Few people to be seen really in comparison to these giant buildings...is anyone in them, they look unused, unlived in but gleaming , shining and fantastic. All I feel however is that I want to see some local people. We see female students in green long figure hugging dresses with special scull caps and hair in plaits ( not young children but teenagers). The males also wear scull caps. Women are dressed in long figure hugging dresses too. People are kind, one man gives us a free ride in his car...one student also very helpful. He had come to university from the countryside and had wanted /expected to bicycle around but no one does and he said he was laughed at. So he had to use the bus like everyone else. I suppose I feel it needs about 2 million more people to give it some hustle and bustle....there is enough space! No mess...I need some chaos!!
Sat 7th May
We are not setting off till midday so I decide to go and look at some gold and white tower thing not too far away on foot whilst Clive goes off to the censored internet in the shopping centre by car/bus/foot. My tower is about one mile away. I hardly see a person except in cars or buses. Two gardeners watering and mowing. The huge buildings stand looking empty save for a couple of parked cars, Around them their gardens have regimented rows of plants and trees. It looks green and the birds are enjoying the trees and flowers...they are the only sound of real life. The cars are not in a jam, there is no hooting from anywhere, not even in the distance. No sound of human life. The "tower" is surrounded my bronze and gold statues and amazing fountains, a soldier and two guards stand motionless. I ask if I can take photos...ok. The huge tower is inhabited by the National Bank of Turkmenistan and the Museum of National Values of Turkmenistan. I see one person. I feel that this whole place is futuristic! We leave and head for the Darvesa craters in the middle of the Karakum Desert. On the way we stop at a farm so that I can see some Akhal-Teke horses. They are golden in colour and the pride and joy of Turkmenistan people. The farmer has camels, donkeys, cows and horses.Its messy but he has lots of horses in stables. Two are walked out for us to see and they are splendid horses....they win races! On to the craters...not that large, thought to be man made ie gas explosions in soviet times. One has water in it with gas bubbling up through it, one is muddy with gas bubbling like fresh water springs and the other is on fire like a hell hole! We set up camp near by. The guide provided the tents and some food. We arrived at the crater just as it was getting dark. It has been burning for 60 years.They threaten to stop it...we wondered how. It was an amazing sight and once back at our tents we could see it lighting up the sky like a small town.
Sun 8th May
Up early, camping! Off by 7.30am. Its warm and we motor northwards through the desert. Beautiful morning but not much to watch apart from the road surface which is bumpy and potholed. We arrive late morning at Konye-Urgench, an historical must see of Turkmenistan. An extraordinary tower/mineret stands in a kind of field along with various ancient mauseleums. They are pre 1200 AD. The town they were in was razed to the ground twice and then centuries of dust/soil has buried it 30 metres down. However it has become a pilgrimage site and bodies are still being buried here, all over the place. Turkmenistan is Islamist but with a great deal of animism, buddhist and zoroastrianism mixed in. Dima , our guide, was not a believer in all of this...nor us!! On to the border, goodbye Dima, and two hours later we are in Uzbekistan. We do not go far , get all in a twist finding an hotel in Nukus but eventually get lead to one Dima suggested in the centre. Go to bazaar to change money and end up with the most amazing wodge of cash for our dollars. Rate is 2400 to one dollar with notes of 500 (worth about 20 cents). We had to borrow a plastic bag....all the notes do not fit in a wallet!! Tonight meet first english man since leaving and meet two bikers from Ukraine. Mobile working again.! Not mentioned but seen ever since Georgia.....gold teeth. Nearly everyone seems to have gold teeth. You have never seen such mouths full of gold teeth. The poorest peasant must have an ounce of gold in their mouth!
Mon 9th May
Only a short distance today to stop at Khiva ( Xiva), famed and on the tourist trail for its totally preserved old city. We take a road across farm land having first negotiated an old pontoon bridge. See quite a few 3 wheeled tractors...strange looking...one wheel at the front. Flat land just like the fens, green, and irrigation by the river. After that, further away from the river, it is desert. Not as soviet style as imagined though some gaunt abandoned industrial buildings. People in donkey carts as well as cars and plenty in the fields, seemingly hand hoeing, weeding or thinning out, on their hands and knees in the beautifully sown fields. The crops are just coming through. They have had more rain than normal...contrary to back home. We find the centre of Khiva and planned hotel where we expected it!!! Take tourist walk . Think this country will be the cultural one and the next two the very scenic ones. It is cheap for us but the money needs carrying around in a plastic bag. Everyone is very practiced at counting notes....its is ridiculous. Hotels like dollars USD. Bikes behaving. Still on street tyres, still carrying the off road ones. Not needed any engine oil, 4500 miles. My pro oiler working very well on the chain...tightened it once.
Tues 10th May
We keep having certain problems with finding our way. We ask and ask but though most people friendly they point where they think we want to go and are very inaccurate to downright wrong. We ask lots but directions are hopeless. Consequently we took some wrong roads but we got back to the main road from Nukus to Bukhara/Buxoro in the end. The moment we did, the road deteriorated into a road under construction . For about 50 miles we bumped along avoiding potholes and other hazards. At 20 mph average we did not achieve quickly and today was a long day as we had to do 270 miles to reach Bukhara. There was no town at all between Khiva and Bukhara on the main road....just desert. Before joining the main road we enjoyed some green fields where women , men and children were busy hand weeding again. Possibly the potential crop are beans? They grow cotton round here but a cotton bush is a perennial. We have not seen any bushes though. Lots of old leaking , metal water pipes looping around. Very soviet style type of wasteful irrigation. More ancient tractors. Arrive quite late in Bukhara and somehow manage to get close to where we were attempting to go before enlisting the help of a taxi driver who took us to a different hotel than the one we were after!!It is hard to read the street map when street names are hard to find! The money continues to be a joke...the biggest note, 1000 "whatsits" is worth about 35p. Petrol fill up may cost 17,000. That is 17 notes to count!!
Wed 11th May
In Bukhara looking at the sights. Too many huge and lovely buildings to photograph...rather give up...perhaps should have videoed. We are enjoying this country. Perfectly civilised, has a tourist industry and is trying hard to please us. Tourism accounts for 20% of GDP. Sellers are not too pushy, the streets, and the whole country are clean of rubbish....amazing lack of rubbish. The only thing we found hard to find was an open cafe but eventually Clive spotted an unmarked doorway which was serving food inside. Big fat mama took us into the kitchen to choose our food which was good. We are being fed really quite well, far better than in Africa or even South America. Difficult to keep weight steady due to lack of exercise !! I enjoy our days off..walking! The evening meal was on a roof top with Uzbek wine made from Italian juice/grapes! Old Bukhara is quite unique. And of course there are the carpets.....one is wending its way home.
Thurs 12th May
Happy Birthday to Emma.
Short ride, 160 miles, to Samarkand. Most of the way the road is reliable, the countryside is green and there is more to see. Flat plain , fertile with water, farmland with quite big fields. Collectivised farming? Does not look like subsistence farming. More bottoms up hand weeding, ancient three wheel tractors tractor- hoeing the bean crop and donkey carts going to and fro. Women sweeping the gravel hard shoulder! This is a dual carriageway but people walk, cars come towards you on the wrong side, bicycles go anyway they like both sides, donkey carts, tractors, and cars doing u turns through the central reservation. Surface is great in places but quite bad in others. A great cavalcade of Toyotas from Dubai came through, we think heading to Tashkent to be sold on there. It would all be worse if there was more traffic but it is not too bad. Find hotel in Samarkand quite easily...we are improving!! Kind of backpacker place with courtyard with fruit trees in it....Mulberry, Pomegranite, Persimmon and Cherries. The cherries are ripe. Some type of Mulberry is ripe too..I had some for breakfast; they were white and smaller than our red ones but very good. We have seen lots of orchards today with big trees...all kinds of fruit. Also finally spotted some cotton bushes!
Fri 13th May
Had meal last night at the hotel with fellow guests/travellers. We are all independent travellers as opposed to those on tours. They seemed to be a pretty well travelled lot, especially a Swiss man on a bicycle who had bicycled from Baku to here. Spent 4/5 hours wandering around the sights in hot sun. Nice in the shade of the huge buildings. Wonderfully restored by the russians apparently. Bought a few postcards showing the before look. No doubt full of history, a little of which we have absorbed and a lot of which has gone over our heads. Ghengis Khan, Timor ( the butcher) and Ulegbek the scientist feature here, and did in Bukhara too. Mauseleums, mosques, and medrassas ( religious schools) are the notable buildings. Motorbike has to have a bulb replaced...did bring a spare...and my charger needed some soldering on a connection ( man in mobile shop did that). Ready to set off again!
Sat 14th May
Starts cloudy and a bit windy but this day hots up to our hottest day touching 38.5c at one point. Mercifully we are getting into the mountains again and the temperature was obviously nicer when we were higher. But we kept going down into the heat!! Last full day in Uzbekistan. The road is better than expected . We begin by heading towards Termis which is an Uzbek town right on the border with Afghanistan. As we join the main road from Termis to Bukhara and beyond to Turkmenistan, we see plenty of long haul trucks. ....trade with Afghanistan/stuff for troops/who knows what. There is also a train line here which has had a lot of money spent on it...for hauling heavy stuff through to Afghanistan?? We left this road to head towards the border for Tadjikistan. We have had to do a southerly loop because the border on the obvious road from Samarkand to Dushanbe is closed....the Tadjics and the Uzbeks are not so fond of each other apparently. The border there has been closed for sometime...its not recent. Donkeys everywhere, little Daewoo taxis everywhere ( take 6 people), women in their long dresses( or tunic top with matching trousers) working in the fields etc, men often hanging around, but some working! Though we go into more mountainous area into is very arid with oasis's every now and again. Amazingly as I ride in 38c of heat I can look at mountains with snow on them! We end the day poised for the border. It is going to be a long hot affair...
Sun 15th May
We reach the border at 9.30am. All goes very smoothly Uzbek side much to our delight and surprise. We had been told that they would be very picky re money declared coming in etc, and how it tallied going out. We had been assiduousily keeping receipts.....On to Tajik bit..all fine to start with..thought we were there when the news came that we had to wait....for what? We waited for 1 and half hours for the one and only guy who could write some form for the bikes. We didn't know whether it was some game or not. We felt they were nice people and that it was genuinely inefficient!. Once he arrived all was done in 5 mins. It was 3 hours after reaching the border that we finally entered Tadjikistan. Still a tarmac road. I had thought that some of our road would have been dirt by now. We are still carrying the off road tyres but they are going to be put on in Dushanbe. Small Daewoo taxis of Uzbekistan give way to Ford Transit van taxis. Old Ladas of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have disappeared in favour of a tiny Daewoo car. Same gangs in the fields hand hoeing the bean crop. Hand cutting grass...no strimmers etc. Same awful russian overland pipe work for irrigation, looping its way over roads, through gardens, along walls etc. Hideous. Women in same long dresses, bright coloured and with headscarves tied tight and bunched round the hair at the back. ` No ostentatious mosques, except in Turkmenistan. No calling at dawn from minerets as in Arab countries. No signs of men praying by their trucks etc. Islam has appeared low key...they have all been islamic countries. Alcohol, especially vodka is on sale!! We succumbed to vodka tonight...vodka and Sprite! We had had quite a time finding an hotel that had rooms and was the right kind of price, and had got VERY hot and bothered as we motorbiked up and down the same road for about the 6th time!
Mon 16th May
Woken by banging on the door at 7.30am. Guards of the car park at the back want paying..by us! $5 for watching the bikes in the locked car park!Breakfast included, we go off into a dingy little room considering the size of this enormous russian style hotel. We first get rice pudding to which we add the runny cherry jam; then a fried egg and a frankfurter. No knife so ask for one!Off to change tyres. After a few circles asking we are led kindly by a car to a major car cleaning/ tyre changing place not in a back street which is where we usually look. It took all morning as everyone was working hard on a continuous stream of smart 4 by 4's wanting to be washed and have tyres swapped around. But we were in the shade and it gradually happened. We did the taking off and they changed the tyres...$5 for two wheels. Headed off for a drink with the bikes feeling rather strange. Then to a tour operator to ask about the road...pretty useless but we get picked up by two french Nato guys who also help start Clive's bike whose battery was flat again!!!! They had noticed us the night before going up and down the road...under suspicion I am sure! All this in rising heat of 39c. We move from shade to shade! You may note..not much culture for us in Dushanbe. There is a spectacular buddha in the museum but it was shut today
Tues 17th May
My watch strap broke last night so without a watch..bit of a bore.We went for a drink in the Irish Pub with the french guys...Hugo and Bernard . It was good to chat with them and get another slant on Tajikistan and Dushanbe. Thank you for a good evening. Much chat and debate about our route to Khorog. There are two routes. Shorter one only open in the summer takes a higher path but is described in the Lonely Planet guide as bad. Some locals seem to indicate it is actually shut right now ( landslide ?). The other route is not properly marked on our map as a road ..it is indicated as a track, but we are told it is the better ,newer, road. 100kms further but if it is tarmac then we will go much quicker.The longer route it is. Our new off road tyres are soon put to the test as we do a fair number of miles on dirt /construction road. I feel much happier with tyres in use and not carrying them.We are always being asked where we come from. Amazingly here in Tajikistan they call England "Anglia". So we are very happy to say we are from Anglia....very true indeed!Countryside now getting hilly, green covered but no rocky crags today. All is rather disappointingly shrouded in heat haze/smog /mist. We do not go high for long so are still sweating in the heat...37c or so today. Lunch is under the trees with a whole load of men having lunch on tea tables . Very friendly and kind and do not let us pay for our excellent plate of rice with carrot, salad, bread, plate of apricots and cherries, and tea. See some very colourful birds about the size of a parrot and some like bee eaters. The former were in holes in a cliff face.Get to Kulyab, petrol station had no electricity at that moment so petrol bucketed out of a 40 gallon oil drum ( obviously prepared for this kind of happening). Get to a huge russian style hotel with real russian dragon lady at reception. Managed to get quoted price ( exorbitant for what you get) down a bit. Room had no running water...they were also prepared for this with a whole line of coke bottles full of water! It has come on now.!
Wed 18th May
Hotel saga went on ...water came on but shower would not work if you lifted it higher than your waist, cold only, and the loo trickled all the time. Then to cap it all when it got dark I realised that all 7 light fittings in the room had no bulbs in them. I had great fun getting the russian dragon on to that. They eventually produced one bulb!!! The we went out to eat , only to discover that this town was pretty basic,,could not find a cafe/restaurant and that it was very muslim and therefore no beer.Thorough testing of the off road tyres today..we did about 70 miles of dirt road all along the afghan border. Great fun looking at them on the path on the other side of the river that divides the two countries. Road then had 23 miles of wonderful new tarmac that we shared with wandering cows. Then some more bump, bumping along till we reached Kalaikhum. Had some food and a shandy hanging over a rushing torrent with thunder and lightning clapping around....we don't want rain. Staying in a "homestay".
Thurs 19th May
Met some french travelling much the same route as us in a pick up with a caravan type back over the buck . They have travelled a lot ( www.americaraid.com) I think. Woken in the night by late arrivals..2 japanese with 2 afghans and tajik driver. They came at 2.30am and left again at 5am!! So said our homestay man. What were they doing??? Spend all day following the border with Afghanistan and the river that divides the two countries. Very scenic. High mountains with snow. We slowly climb higher against the rushing river. Road is okay and we achieve about 25mph average over the day and reach Khorog after 7 hours. In parts the road was just two wheel tracks hanging very close to the river. Okay for us but not very nice for a truck of which we met quite a lot. Us, trucks and 4x4's...that was all...no private cars. Weather was so so with the odd drops of rain. Later we ask again about the route ahead. We have been intending to do the Wakhan valley ...it continues to follow the afghan border before leaving the river and climbing up a pass of over 4500m. Then it joins the Pamir highway. We hear that this road only opened two days ago and now there are thunder storms/snow. There will be delays anyway. I think we are thinking to give it a miss. The Pamir highway has a pass of 4200m anyway!!
Fri 20th May
I write this from what can only be described as a hovel!....we began the day wondering about the weather but after a visit to someone's computer the forecast was ok and same tomorrow so no point loitering. Little did we know what Murgab , our destination town was like. So the Pamir highway. Its high..plateau runs at about 4000m. We do a pass of 4272m but no great ups and downs as we begin at 2100m and end at 3700m. Huge wide valley we start off up in, noting the first private vehicle that drove the Pamir highway in 1925, (sitting on a pedestal) just after the russians had finished the road. Great rocky cliffs, scree slopes and snow up top. As it turned out we did not need to worry about snow as the snow level was about 4000m. No where to stop, not a single petrol station, shop or cafe BUT we did find a "restaurant" courtesy of the Lonely Planet guide , as you would not have exactly realised. One single low whitewash building on the edge of the plain. Fish restaurant! A tiny holy spring produces fish! Off with boots to sit crosslegged as we get given potatoes and mutton and a plate of the fish plus tea and yoghurt and bread. Fish had been sort of smoked and dried. Clive did not really fancy it but it was okay. No doubt I was supposed to eat all the skin , bones, fins etc as well; but I didn't. On we went...now got all cold weather clothes back on as it hits 5c up here. Majestic mountains, Pamirs to our right, very high when you think about riding along this plain at 4000m. I see my first Yaks far away but no Yurts....we are a bit early. Green/yellow plain and dry/arid rocky mountains with snow. No trees, no bushes. Saw some rather entertaining animals...chestnut in colour , like a large Marmot. Lived down holes. Have to look it up. Road is reasonable, dirt in places and pretty bumpy everywhere but we got along, meeting only trucks from China and a few 4x4's. Near the end we saw two cyclists going uphill against the wind. Czech and German pair.! Arrived in Murgab. Very,very basic. Boy gets on back of Clive's bike and takes us to this Homestay ( in the guide). It is a warren of a hovel. Charming people but there is no running water, no electricity ( oil lamps) and the loo is pretty unmentionable though I have taken a photo!! We are sharing this delightful spot with an australian girl who is suffering from altitude sickness. I go to buy water...shops are containers or bits of trucks all in a row.
Sat 21st May
We both slept badly! Clive's bed springs were like a hammock; they also squeaked. He thinks his bed had bed bugs as he has bites. We had taken the precaution of using our silk liners. I did not get bitten but my liner is bigger. I needed the loo, but unlike Clive who could pee into a bottle, my trip entailed going through other rooms to the outside disgusting loo. They fed us ..but it was lung, and none of us ( australian included) could manage that... Camping sounds a very good alternative but outside it was about 3c as the altitude was 3700m...we were at least warm. With some relief we set off, petrol from a bucket again but seems to work.We climb the highest pass we have ever done 4655m. -2c at the top. Bikes doing really well except Clive's battery which failed again on the border, which happened to be at 3900m and with a biting wind in the zero temperature. Out with my mini battery leads and we get it started. Border there was swift as no one wanted to hang around in the cold! Fairly muddy dirt road on the way down..glad we are after the rain and parts had got dry. Off road tyres doing the business the last two days. Met two motorcyclists ( first we have seen for weeks), belgium pair on BMWs and also a solo cyclist battling up a pass. More of those red marmot looking animals dashing across the road and diving down holes. They have a black tip to their tails. Bit more border formalities further down and then into Sari Tash in a small snow storm. All looked a bit basic again though a touch better. I look at two ( loos grim) and we finally opt for third as it has the cleanest hole in the ground loo.....all the way down the garden path amongst the animals. No loo paper....we do carry some ! Room good though with our own stove and mattresses on the floor. We are fed...its okay. We are still high, at 3000m. Due to the slightly uncomfortable accomodation we are keeping going to Osh. We have had no decent electricity let alone internet for a few days. This place seems to have one plug ( for the telly). Scenery has been fascinating as has the Chinese border. We have made it to the Chinese border! We travelled along side a fence for miles. Not where it should have been on our map but I did read somewhere that Tajikistan did cede some land to the Chinese....why?
Sun 22nd May
Snow on the bikes....a wee bit and it is freezing! Brush teeth outside as that is where the water is! Sun is shining though and off we go up another pass just outside town. It is about 3600m and muddy as the road is under construction with plenty of heavy machinery churning up the road. We pick our way carefully up, and then down with the odd slip but no falls and head into Kyrgyzstan. Goodbye to rocky brown mountains and hello to green mountain sides. Goodbye to chinese trucks driving along the Pamir highway and the Afghan road. Hello to bushes and trees, horses, lots of them...yurts, horse riding. It looks more interesting. Dogs....they have been roaming the roadside for a while but these seem quite keen on trying to catch us. We still have snow capped mountains in the distance as we descend to Osh at about 1000m. We strip off clothing gradually as we go from snow to basking in 26c. Found an hotel which is luxurious with our own bathroom and wifi!
Tues 24th May ( Mike's birthday)
We are spending three nights here. Been tinkering with Clive's battery which seemingly had dirty terminals etc. Tightened chain on my bike, checked the pro-oiler which continues to be excellent ( www.pro-oiler.com). Clive has lost one bolt and catch which is part of the mechanism that holds one of his panniers to the frame. We hailed the only bike we've seen and the rider has been most helpful. He only speaks russian and is part german. Anyway he went off with a bolt and catch to get a copy made....and succeeded very well. He even got us some stickers for our panniers. No one wanted any payment...all very kind. Thank you, Vladimir. We went to the bazaar this morning..it was a great disappointment to me as it was described as one of central asia's best markets and as being "thunderous". Not sure where that was because it was hardly that. Very ordinary . Not a patch on Africa's markets for vibrancy. We did see what may have been signs of the violence a year ago ( June 9th,2010)...burnt out stalls and twisted metal from fire. I climbed a jagged and barren rock called Solomon's throne. It has religious significance with mosques and mauseleums etc. It had a lot of steps up. Written up as taking 25 mins , I climbed up in 13 mins so that was good. Clive relaxed in the shade at the bottom. We walked back through the park by the river. Sounds lovely but it was overgrown, neglected, water running everywhere out of burst/broken gullies , and a very ancient but well used children's funfair with all sorts of very old roundabouts , dodgems and wheels amongst the trees. Trees very nice and mature. Also hiding amongst the trees was an old Yak 40 aeroplane, real, and stripped of all engines, seats etc.
Wed 25th May
We ride through lovely green rolling countryside. Basic strip farming going on, hand labour, donkeys pulling wooden ploughs , horses pulling tiny cultivators, people hand hoeing. Fat tailed sheep being herded along the road. Cows looking well fed wandering along the verges with donkeys and the odd dog. Road is good, more traffic than we've had for a while. Old Audis and Mercs seem popular. No motorcycle/mopeds at all. Kyrgyzstan gives an air of more wealth than Tajikistan...this bit anyway. Cafes again, proper filling stations etc We opt for a detour for the night, about 30 miles off our route.Up we go to Arsalenbob.1600m up. Says it has homestays organised by CBT . A man was waiting as I got off my bike....he had been mobiled by his uncle that two tourists were on their way! Would never have identified the office...a single door in the wall. He told us which home stays were available . We opted for one that seemed to be by the waterfall. Off we go up a dirt track with man on Clive's bike. Clive did well as it was gravelly, but I fell behind enough to not see which way they had gone. I was eventually found and made it! Homestay ok. We go for walk up by waterfall and admire the walnut trees. This valley is very famous for its 11,000 hectares of walnut groves. Now you know!! Also this village is 99% Uzbek, 1% Kyrgyz. Ethnic tension is not far away in the Fergana Valley. Someone said it will be good that we will not be around in June....there may be trouble. We were stopped by police today...not for speeding...they just wanted a photo of themselves and Clive's bike!! We were asked tonight when we would like hot water. Hot water is produced by lighting a wood fire in a little iron stove in the bathroom wall. This fire , I realised, heated up a water pipe ( hot water for shower), heated up the bathroom, and heated up the little room next door which was a little sauna. All very homemade and ingenious; very grotty in looks but it worked !
Thurs 26th May ( Finn's birthday)
We set off after a leisurely breakfast on one of the traditional tea tables and rejoin our route, bit it is full of traffic until we head up the Naryn river valley. Great road for motorbiking, good surface, sweeping bends and great scenery as we start moving up into more mountains as we head for Bishkek. There are 5 dams on this river each producing a skinny reservoir in the deep valley. We stop at Toktogul near the last and largest reservoir. Not quite as one would have imagined from the map...the town is a pretty sorry place. Spaced out with nice trees, but shops are quite often containers . Whilst not really rubbishy the whole air of the place is dereliction. Bits of old concrete, broken pipework, broken roofs, bricks, holes etc. It is not just here but in many towns. We search for milk and bottled water and come back with what we think is success for our english cup of tea. The lovely carton of milk is fresh milk, but fresh SOUR milk, and the " non gas" water is gassy water!! I go out again and buy a tin of condensed milk! Its definitely better than sour milk in tea. At coffee break this morning we were again given the food and drink for free...because we were tourists. It is very kind.
Fri 27th May
Wake early after a disturbed nights sleep listening to crows/rooks/jackdaws in the nearby trees and drunken men singing karaokee in the hotel to very loud music. Their poor wives!! We have another great motorcycling day. The Lonely planet guide describes the Osh to Bishkek road as" a sequence of superlatives taking the traveller from the wide Fergana valley, up the deep Naryn River gorge, around the immense Toktogul reservoir , through the yawning Suusamyr Valley and over two 3000m plus passes ." The road was good/excellent, the views stunning and the great variations in temperature , 19c to 2c to 21c stretched us. We even had a 2.6kms tunnel. The valley was full of yurts and horses. Reached Bishkek and found our guesthouse. Weather pleasant rather than hot.
Sun 29th May
We wandered Bishkek on Saturday being pretty lazy. Quite hot today ....so sightseeing bit of an effort!! Big unkempt park, large government and museum type buildings, dull looking shops with the odd sign of brighter stuff to come. Having eaten in two very ethnic, but muslim so no alcohol, type places we opted for a brand new ( open only a month) restaurant and had a bottle of french wine to drink to the memory of my father whose birthday was the 28th May.Our guesthouse was one of the better spots. Operating behind closed gates without any signage, it was a little haven for foreigners with wifi included. Motherly lady and her family striving away. Goodluck to them at Radison guesthouse. No huge signs of ostentation in Bishkek except for a wedding party that swept by with a huge stretch limo and vehicles with blackened windows etc. ( Can't have been government vehicles as the black cars had pretty pink ribbons tied to the door handles.)Off to Lake Issyk Kol. Second largest highest lake in the world after Lake Titicaca. 600m deep and 1600m up with the Tian Shan mountain range as a backdrop. Found ourselves a barely open holiday camp type place to spend the night in. We have been put in a "chalet". The sheets look like they have been used, the telly doesn't work etc. On the way,just before we got to the lake we had to pay some toll/fee of 1000 som for we know not what.Cars behind seemed to pay nothing. That amount of money is the approx equivalent of a night in an hotel . We were not happy and made a fuss..not something we usually do...holding up the traffic for a while.
Mon 30th May
Food was brought on a tray to our chalet. No choice..fish from the lake ( good but small....overfished). Breakfast also came on a tray. From quite far away! Rather amazing but all included in the price. We had walked round this "holiday camp" the evening before. We are the only people staying. All seemed in decay and we wondered when it would be full...people were working away at titivating the decaying buildings. How do poor people get rid of slabs of concrete? How can you move old concrete without large machines? It lies everywhere, huge bits, along with old bits of steel. Old concrete "walls", falling down, surround this place and many other places. For a couple of weeks now we have not seen a cutlery knife. We eat with a fork and spoon...and fingers. Knives do not exist. Tonight I had a kebab...no knife to cut the meat!! Today was a pretty ride beside Issyk Kol. Green and pleasant tree lined road. Little traffic but bumpy surface on the patched tarmac. Karakol the destination. Houses along the way remind me of Eastern Europe. Individual in shape with odd dormer windows and turrets, fenced gardens. Part wood, part brick or concrete, tin roof, single storey. Tin roofs have been with us for several countries now. They glint in the sunlight and look good in the mountains. Horses, donkeys, cows and dogs..all keep us on our toes watching their every move ...will they wander across the road?
Tues 31st May
Staying put because we cannot enter Kazakhstan until tomorrow. Our visa for Kazakhstan starts June 1st....we should have had it start earlier...a little mistake on our side. Look at wooden Jewish cathedral , 100 years old since last rebuild ( earthquakes, bolsheviks). Its rather nice. Then a wooden mosque, not quite so old but built with wooden nails. Looked rather like a cross between a pagoda and a mosque. After that I headed up into the hills and had a huge walk whilst Clive pottered in town. Having climbed up quite far I thought I would be alone but not at all; various people kept appearing on horse back and foot , making their way across the hills. Found huge flock of sheep and attendant watchers too. Watched dung beetles heaving balls of dung up hill! Lots of birds. Keen to have a great night out (!!!!) we headed off to a Lonely Planet choice. It had disappeared. It was cold so we wanted somewhere indoors. Anything with lights on also had blaring pop music. We headed into one and got offered a booth to eat in. It was quieter with a door between us and the music. The booth was decorated in 1920's style/russian. The menu in russian we can make neither head nor tail of. We ended up having a whole chicken with raw onion rings as garnish with what we hoped was chips but turned out to be crisps. Two forks and one knife!! We left some chicken for the waitress and joined in the dancing briefly to the accompaniment of the loud music. The young were very enthusiastic and the boys were good at dancing.
Wed 1st June
Day began badly. It was raining though it did stop for a while. It was cold. Clive's bike would not start...the battery so out with the jump leads and a car helped. ( My bike battery is a pain to get to). Off to the border in the Karkara valley with Kazakhstan. Road good gets worse to dirt. High green valley with subsistence farmers, odd yurt, horses. Rain on and off and cold so all clothing on. Get to border and it is closed...no one there and razor wire across the road. That was that. Lonely Planet guide wrong!! NOW we know that it got shut last year, something to do with the troubles last year with the Uzbeks in Osh. But this is Kazakhstan!! So we had to turn round and head all the way back to Bishkek. Rain stopped, dirt road quicker, but it was a long day of nearly 350 miles. Police finally got us..we have had some narrow escapes. Speed limit appears to be 40kms in town and 60kms elsewhere. ..pretty slow. They asked for 1000 som, Clive did not have that much so handed over what he had...it went straight in the policeman's pocket, no receipt. We rang the nice lady "Vulia" of our nice guesthouse and she had a room. Tomorrow Almaty...we shall get there.!
Thurs 2nd June
Two Australians on bikes, were at the guesthouse, male and female! Going our way , we might meet up with them again. Back track to Almaty. We feel we would regret it if we don't go there. So through the border near Bishkek and 150 miles back east. Yesterday we were just the other side of the mountain range border.! Arrive mid afternoon and have time to locate motorcycle shop for oil change which they will do tomorrow. Leave bikes there..... Clive announces that he has unilaterally accepted a job in Beirut which will last for several months. No discussion before he made the decision. Kazakhstan looks like it has huge open spaces. Good road here...watch speed police...but otherwise less roaming animals, more sophisticated cars, drier in this region and a huge lack of trees. Some trees by the road which rooks in particular were making use of for rookeries. They are quite large rather floppy birds and seem prone to being killed on the road. More road signs than we are used to, even ones telling us the ridiculously low speed we should be doing.
Fri 3rd June
Plod round Almaty following the Lonely planet foot tour. It is a very european city. It has plenty of trees, big buildings and modern cars. It is just a city! It was pretty hot . Nice tsarist cathedral. We went and collected our bikes later. They had been having an oil change in a bike shop we found. Clive's battery had a broken cell or something inside it, hence it was not working properly. He had to have a new battery. Fill up with petrol causing chaos as we had to pay first then fill up...a most stupid system because how do you know how much you are going to spend/how many litres you need??
Sat 4th June
We are now heading west along the southern edge of Kazakhstan. We have a mountain range to our left which is the divide between Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Unfortunately the snow capped bits are not very clear today as it is raining on and off. Showers are around and we put waterproofs on and off and on!
Once off the main Almaty /Bishkek road things get a bit bumpy but its tarmac so no complaints. At one point we take a short cut on a more minor road which quickly deteriorated into bad potholes in places. Clive lost his cool at one point when he, bag and bike took off. A few punches to the bag soon put the world to rights. Huge flocks of sheep with horsemen watching. Horses roaming the vast area of grassland. The valleys are farmed ,but then it is just grassland. Wildflowers abound. Nothing very rich round here, not like Almaty! Old tractors, horses cultivating, people hand hoeing.
Over 300 miles today and we reach Taraz. End up in vast Russian hotel in a suite of rooms. Total waste of space...we have a dining room , a sitting room, bedroom, shower room, fridge room !! For one night! We eat across the road in a cafe, and watch a stretch limo with a bride in, go by in a fanfare of horns.
Sun 5th June
Have to be out of our room by 8am...part of the price deal...but we could then have the inclusive breakfast!
Its hot today..rises to 34c. We ride along beside snow capped mts for a while until we move into the Syr Dayra Valley ..the major river that feeds the Aral Sea ( or used to!). Cutting on to today's shortcut on a secondary road we are suddenly plunged into the steppes proper. Grassland as far as you can see. Cereal crops too. They are busy making hay with ancient cutting and baling machines all left over from soviet times and before. Occasional glimpses into sheds seems to show very ancient looking combines getting ready for the cereal harvest. They look very rusty. Tractors are really old...there has been no investment. Ploughs are sometimes 3 furrow but never reversible...very old fashioned. The steppes are green but in places lacking rain. Butterflies galore, crashing into us, poor things. Birds too, enjoy the unspoilt countryside along with the herders on horse back with their cows and sheep...fat tailed with a huge blob instead of a normal tail.
In the valleys honey vendors abound.... as they have in all the Stans. A few tea stops today until we reach Turkistan. This town has a very historical mausoleum. UNESCO site etc. Off we walk... Timor built it . Nice new hotel...
Mon 6th June
Looks cloudy but soon heats up and reaches a peak of about 37c. Countryside is dried up scrubby desert in spite of being part of the Syr Darya river valley.( the important river that runs into the Aral Sea but whose waters get so depleted up stream that not much water reaches the Aral Sea). Its pretty drab looking . See some endangered Bactrian camels ...a real pointer that we have finished with mountains. The road goes from good to bumpy tarmac to small bits of dirt. It is all under construction. Clive reckons chinese contractors are doing the job. It will end up dual carriageway heading in a straight line through the desert....pretty boring! Today we are kept on our toes because of all the construction machinery and lorries buzzing up and down full or empty with shingle etc. We wave, they wave! Police are absent though occasionally we all play cat and mouse with what looks like a parked police car.
Kyzylorda is our nights spot. Find good hotel ( Samruk) near the remarkably nice WW11 memorial ( in Lonely Planet guide). Very friendly locals lead us to it in their cars.
Tues 7th June
Getting up early for a long day we had asked for breakfast at 7am. It was going to come to our room apparently. Bang, bang, on the door at 6.40am!! Luckily we were up...
The hotel owner's son who speaks good english, lead us out of town and made sure we got on the right road. Thank you. We have crossed the river Darya and now on its left bank. Much greener and wetter and early in the morning find loads of groups of horses with foals standing on or near the road, or in shallow pools of water. Cows too seemed at home in water, all of them looking like water buffalo. Sadly we then cross back over and its desert scenery again.
Heading northwest to Aral, the town at the northern edge of the much reduced Aral Sea. We have another road building day, bobbing from tarmac to dirt. Sometimes dirt has been sprayed to keep the dust down...we are not keen on that as it makes it slippery. Sometimes the dirt has just been graded...that makes it rather too loose and soft for comfort. Sometimes it has patches of sand. Then along come the lorries in the opposite direction and we are enveloped in dust and cannot see for a moment or two. Its hard work and we have 280 miles today. If we camped more ( Clive not keen) then any distance will do, but hotels of any description are few and far between hence the mileage...nowhere between Kyzylorda and Aral.
Aral looks like a cowboy town, all sandy streets, sand blowing in the strong wind, and an outback feel. Only hotel is a russian number with 3 dragon ladies demanding the money before we have hardly settled in. Eat over the road in Korean restaurant!!
Two nights here to ready Clive before a possible two nights camping because there really may not be any hotels..
!Wed 8th June
Air conditioner is so noisy that it cannot run at night; nor can it run when we are not here as the plug or electricity supply are inadequate and we may catch fire. Plug getting very hot and burning smell at times. But it is so hot that it is nice to lower the temperature a bit! The hotel is a joke...from the outside you can see that the top floor has been left to decay and we wonder about the second floor...we are on the first. It has not got long. Dragon downstairs is jealous of my naturally curly hair...hers is permed and dyed!!!
Negotiate a trip to Zhalanash which is an old fishing village on the edge of the original Aral Sea. Now it is very much high and dry and this is where there was an old "ship cemetery". As the water receded the ships were left high and dry in the middle of nowhere. To get there entailed a 45kms gravel road and then 5 kms of sandy road. Very glad we did not go on motorbikes. It was a very boring gravel road through desicated land. The fact the Aral sea has reduced has meant that the climate has changed around here. Much less rain, hotter summers, colder winters and nasty dust storms whipping up the salt laden sand from the old lake bed. This salty sand is then carried on the wind far away upsetting agriculture and humans. The russians had done chemical testing on an island in the Aral sea....as it all dried out, the chemicals have been blown around and definitely caused the death ,in 1988, of half a million Saiga antelope ( one third of the world population). Aral sea dropped by 14m and reduced hugely BUT the north part is now growing in size again ( due to measures taken) and one day Aralst the town may have a harbour again. The water is now 23kms away and at one point it was 60 kms.
We see old dried up harbour and rusting boats. Plenty of Bactrian camels in the shade of what was left of some ships at Zhalanash. And....I saw several hoopoes on the wrecks and in the desert. ( birds!).
We are otherwise resting, to get ready for a couple more testing days and camping!!! Clive is dreading camping. I am looking forward to it.
Thurs 9th June
Have dreadful night with stomach cramps. Hardly slept. It was that Korean restaurant ! Still felt bad in the morning but the thought of staying in that hotel for another day was enough and with Clive bringing my motorbike to the door, we were off. Sitting still was okayon the motorbike and the brain had other things to think about other than stomach cramps. Felt that the jolting around on the dirt road was good for stomach.
The day improved. I slowly felt better though tired and the road got better and better. We went a long way but Clive had agreed to camp and camp we did...by a reservoir near Aktobe. Absolutely idyllic and I am sure I will sleep well ! Clive even complemented me on the one saucepan meal I concocted!!
Fri 10th June
Yesterday we had left the desert after about a couple of hours and gone back into Steppe country, albeit quite dry still. The land stretches as far as you can see, fairly flat and green in colour. It is not all lush grassland but fairly scrubby wildflowers and herbs with some grass. Great for birds and wildlife. We see birds of prey and funny little mammals dart across the road. Today we have begun in this landscape, 1100m above sea level. It is amazing to see such countryside unadulterated by man...no people, no houses or industry , no electricity pylons...
The camping went well. Off to a good start but things deteriorate. We have big aims today...380 miles and expected yesterdays roads. We got 200 miles of dirt road of varying type. Huge dry mud potholes , big enough to hide a bike, sand, mud, gravel, broken tarmac, construction etc. We thank our lucky stars it did not rain on the mud section ( dry for us). It did rain later ( most unusual for the time of the year), and we did get a muddy bit where I dropped my bike trying to get from construction road to temporary road.
Poor lorries who could not negotiate the vast potholes took to the countryside on sandy tracks. They got along pretty well in a huge cloud of dust. We stayed with the broken road as we do not like sand! At one point when a sandy track was converging back to the road , we noticed that a lorry had got stuck , unable to go up the sandy incline to get back on the road. Three trucks, who we had been going parallel with, were just coming up to this point. Little did they know they were going to be held up by this truck for quite some time. We rode by....
It was tough. It one point we met a bike coming the other way. An english guy on a triumph. First english guy we have seen in weeks. He was riding all the way to Bangkok. Unfortunately he had dropped his bike in the muddy bit and broken off his pannier. He had had to abandon it and some of his stuff. When we got to that point we never saw it.....already disappeared.
With rain threatening we plugged on to Atyrau on the last 97 kms of immaculate tarmac. Whilst stopped asking about an hotel a guy in a car said he would show us ..very kind. Arrived to find it quite beyond our purse but another guy comes up..english this time. He says he can help and the result is that another english guy has lent us a spare flat for the night. We are now quite exhausted.... My bike has a problem. I have noticed a noise the last 24 hours and it is considered to be the front chain cog spindle. We will have to aim for the nearest BMW dealer...that will be in Ukraine.
Sat 11th June
We were so tired...thank you to Mike for the flat. We set off for the border with Russia. I ride gently and smoothly to try and stop whatever it is, get worse. We are heading west over the top of the Caspian sea and across the Volga delta as it reaches the Caspian. Dry desert in Kazakhstan but odd bits of water. We see Bactrian camels standing in water...they don't really look right! They cross the road too, as do horses, cows and sheep. This road is better and faster and animals roaming are quite a hazard.
We reach the border...glad to get the bike into Russia at least. There are a very few BMW dealers in Russia and more in Ukraine but none in Kazakhstan. The border is infested with midges..everyone is slapping at them as they tickle and bite. Border formalities go well...Russia easier than before. How the border people can work with those midges I don't understand.
Astrakhan...we entered a funny way and found ourselves riding through streets flooded with filthy muddy water. I went gently so as to not get too muddy. Clive got drenched by a foul bus going fast the other way. I realised after going through the water that the noise on my bike had stopped until things dried and it started again. It can't be the spindle as it did not get wet. Got to investigate more..... Couldn't find hotel and people not helpful until "Olga" turned up on a Suzuki sports bike. She lead us to one.....
Sun 12th June
Had the inclusive breakfast only to be given a bill! Apparently our double room for two people only included one breakfast!!
Outside we adjusted my bike chain and took off the worn out Pro oiler. Impossible to adjust the chain as I now realised that it had a tight spot and very loose spot....it was worn out but spindle probably okay. Did my best adjusting it and off we went. Astrakhan had an old centre inside white walls but we only saw it as we left. Pretty church roofs showing..love the gold onion tops. There were also some wooden houses with carved wood and old stone buildings that had once been lovely but were now decaying and totally out of favour. We understand this is the same across Russia...the old buildings are going. Hideous water pipes disfigure the "gardens" with the piped hot water.
Had assumed to be seeing lots of green and trees beside the Volga but not so on our left bank. It was arid and brown. Road pretty dull but I made solid progress at 55mph.
Midges and mosquitos abounded. If you stopped you were swarmed over immediately. Since I was going along slower than Clive..( just a bit!), when he stopped I carried on. On one occasion he had pulled over to the left side of the road ( driving on the right). I stopped briefly but began before him. As I pulled back across I saw a police car parking up. I went along for about half an hour but no Clive in sight. I stopped only to be attacked by midge/mosquitos. I hid my face beneath a neckie but they got under and bit me to bits. Nothing for it but to go slowly back on my sick bike. Clive appeared. He had been stopped by that police car as he pulled across the road "for crossing the white line". They demanded 1000 euros! After much arguing he finally paid 500 roubles (about 18 dollars). So unfair.
Reached Volgograd and pulled up outside the Volgograd hotel. Half a minute later the two australians we had last seen in Almaty pitched up on their bikes! Amazing!
Reception gave us the names of three bike shops and mobile numbers.Its Sunday and tomorrow is a bank holiday. Anyway we ring one of the numbers. Speaks english... By 10 pm the bike has been looked at and taken to the shop. They can do a chain but perhaps not the sprockets.
Mon 13th June
By mid morning Nick and Lesley Poole from Norfolk ( www.pooleglobaltrek.com) have turned up. They have been in Russia and all the way to Mongolia and now on homeward leg. We have met in Norfolk and did know they might be able to meet up with us. Bike guys get in touch...chain will be done but can't get sprockets. Chain will survive 2600 miles on old sprockets. Why didn't I bring a spare set...because I thought it would all last! Nearly did. The 6 of us have a good chat and then sight see the WW11 statue to Mother Russia. It is huge and impressive. The weather is hot and oppressive .
The custombike guys are good to their word and we go and pick up my bike in the evening. New chain fitted. Much better!! Victor...thank you.
Back at the hotel we see there is an AUS reg vehicle and a GB ! We have not seen a GB for weeks
!Tues 14th June
Nick and Lesley are staying another day; Will and Kate, the british australians, are going the same way . First we tramp the town's banks trying to change our Kazakhstan money into roubles. No one wants to. Back to hotel and Clive finds the driver of the AUS vehicle. He IS going the other way and is happy to buy our Kazak money! Hurrah!
We do very badly at finding the right road out of town and do two sides of a large triangle. Kate's bike is a 250cc and though it goes along at a fair speed has no guts when overtaking. We leapfrog along the road through rolling farmland...such a nice change from desert. It pours with rain on us at one point...into water proofs, out of waterproofs. We stop just short of the border in a trucker's motel. Its modern and newish and has lots of little cafes and shops on one side. We have a very good meal.
Wed 15th June
The border to Ukraine...begins badly! They ask for our customs declaration..we never filled one out when we came in. Slight panic that we had a problem especially as one guard said " back to Kazakhstan". Fishing around in my pocket I found the customs declaration for entry into Kazakhstan from Kyrgyzstan. That would do!! Did Clive still have his? Yes, he found it. One guy then spent about half an hour entering Clive's details plus this form, on to a computer. He then asked for mine and then waved us elsewhere. He never did enter my details . We are through and so are Will and Kate, who now change nationality and become british instead of australian. They have both passports.
Whilst at the border I got a text from Lesley. Still in Volgograd, Nick was very ill with fever and sickness etc. Doctor called.
Ukraine is green, lots of nice mature trees and plenty of large fields with good crops. As we travel west the crops are further advanced. They look good, mostly weed free barley , wheat and sunflower crops. Maize then appears . Whilst tractor hoeing takes place, much of the crop is " rogued" by hand . In europe this is no longer economically viable.
Road is fairly bumpy and weather is warm. Not great motorcycling, its just a case of doing the miles this time.
Fri 17th June
For two days the 4 of us have travelled west across Ukraine. It has remained much the same..trees, farmland and good weather. We camped last night, after shopping for food ; found a camp spot along side a huge sunflower field, with huge stag beetles on the wing near the wood. Clive not over keen but out voted. It was better than the not so brilliant hotel of the night before where we had decided to go for the cheap shared bathroom option. The alternative was a done up room with bathroom but totally overpriced . Tonight we have reached Vinnytsia. Hotel fine and town really quite lively. Will and Kate will now head towards Rumania whilst we head for Slovakia. They are now on their last leg all the way from Australia. www.wollongongtowoolwich.blogspot.com
Sat 18th June
We leave Will and Kate , hoping to see them in England , and head on west. Ukraine is friendly with nice and frequent cafes. Driving is a bit dodgy, police a constant threat but so far we have not been stopped...I write this with 150 miles to go!! Slightly less main road this afternoon and we see more horses and carts in use. Near each village the land is farmed in strips...similar to large allotments and there always seems to be common grassland where single cows graze along with goats, geese, ducks and turkeys. Its like England must have been quite some years ago. Old machinery and a lot of hand labour..you see old ladies wandering off with a large hoe in hand.
We stop for a drink and a wedding couple are there with photographer. Can they take photo with the bikes? She is all clean with huge white wedding dress, he is in a really tasteful shiny suit, our bikes are filthy and dusty, but photos are taken with bride and groom drapped over our bikes . Then he wants a photo in my crash helmet...!! Whatever makes them happy!
Stop in Zhydachiv,near Stryi. New hotel and there will be a birthday party here tonight....what fun!!
We are rather amazed at the bed linen...double bed has single sheet which barely covers the mattress. It was the same last night. Probably single duvet as well............
Sun 19th June
Birthday party was for a 50 year old and they invited us in for a drink and food. The food was really good especially some stuffed fish.
We hope that Nick and Lesley have left Volgograd. We have been getting text updates on Nick's recovery which seems to have been slow. Hotel breakfast seems to have given him the food poisoning.
It rains which is a shame as this is some of the best scenery we have seen for a while. We are skirting the Carpathian mts and we go up and down in the hills. The police finally have a real go at us and we get stopped twice.
The first time the police car was positioned between two old level crossings, each of which looked unused. However they both had a STOP sign and according to the police man we should have stopped and put our feet down before moving on in spite of the lack of trains! What a joke! It was pouring with rain and the policeman stood in the road telling us " Look STOP" "You must STOP" "See STOP" etc and demanding our driving licences. He was getting soaked as we argued that we did not realise that that is what you had to do. We of course had waterproofs on. Then Clive gets in the car to further talk. They wanted about $70 . After a while Clive mentioned that this was not good for tourism and that seemed to do the trick and he gave up. Got off....
The second time was coming down a hill where apparently the speed limit on the bend was 30kms....crawling speed AND I had overtaken a lorry on a white line AND apparently Clive had failed to stop!! Gave them two sets of documents that we did not need and then Clive gets in the car to argue our case. They then said they wanted about $300 . At this Clive was so disgusted he just got out of the car and came over to me. So I approached the police car next and noticed one policeman with his head in his hands in despair! I got in and they had a go about the white line and overtaking. Then one pointed at my international driving licence and my date of birth. Yes, I said, I am sixty years old! At that he handed back our documents!! I think grey hairs did the job that time!
With 50 more miles still to go we did go carefully. Border was tediously slow but we are now in Slovakia. Some relief as my front sprocket really is very worn and our tyres, especially the front ones, have worn very badly and are probably not legal. However the bikes are now legally insured once again having been uninsured the moment we left the EU
.Mon 20th June
We hope it will not rain as we had some failures amongst our waterproofs. Clive's boots leak..one badly where a dog once bit it. My left boot has started to leak. Clive's anorak does not do the job. Think mine lets water in round the neck. ...
It does rain, but only a couple of showers otherwise all is good. Time to reflect on where we have been as we ride the better roads towards Czech republic. The nice smooth roads are far less hard work. The cafes are brighter and more appealing. Road signs are clear and precise instead of being absent or spasmodic. There are advertising signs. Shops are brighter so you can see what they are selling. Road marks exist! We can understand the script/letters. Never quite mastered cyrillic script. We can now vaguely understand a menu instead of not at all. The police are probably consistent...at least they are not trying to hide...they have flurescent jackets on! I am not going to miss looking at deserts and do appreciate the pretty green countryside here with rolling hills and beautiful mature hardwood trees. Ukraine had nice trees too but not the tree covered hilltops as there are here.
We shall miss the full gold teeth smiles, miss having free cups of "chai", miss a certain type of freedom, a certain challenge on the road, miss the cheap petrol even though it was probably watered down, miss the "open at all hours" shops and feasting our eyes on the brightly dressed women and the young girls in their high heels.
Heading for Brno and reach Slavkov u Brna, formerly Austerlitz, famous for being near the site of "the battle of Austerlitz in 1805 between Napoleon and a Russo- Austrian army. Napoleon won. It has a very splendid Austerlitz Palace which we wander round the outside of. We are in Moravia. Being in this village was entirely by chance....
Our front tyres are in dire need of replacement and my front sprocket is completely worn out . In Brno there is a bmw dealer and tyre places.........
Tues 21st June
Find BMW dealer and in my bike goes for new sprockets. Usual dreadful layer of reception between you and the mechanics. We sit around in the "cafe area". We need tyres too and there seems to be a problem here...they can't source any. Then they can! We wander off to se if we can find some food on this industrial estate. Sit and watch a couple trying to hitch hike and think of the wonderful system they have in many of the "Stan" countries where you stand in the road with your hand out and hitch a ride with any passing car. ....for a fee. In towns it seems to work very well. Any private individual can stop and pick you up for a fee. If he is not going the right way then he will say so. Of course insurance plays no part in these countries whilst in England we have major problems with hire and reward insurance, and probably muggers etc, whilst there seems to be a lot of trust in the "Stans": people helping each other out.
It was so easy the other day in Volgograd to get the chain done with Victor. You are dealing with the mechanic without the reception layer. Sitting here we do not know what is happening nor how long it will all be.....progress ha ha.
It was all done by about 3pm. Very nicely balanced tyres and my sprockets and chain all done and carefully marked. I thought the chain was a bit tight....
We headed for our next destination..the Kostince chapel at Sedlec near Kutna Hora. As has been usual for the last few weeks, rain showers loomed, but we escaped. First hotel full...horrors...but struck lucky in Kutna Hora.
Wed 22nd June
Nice place and 2kms down the road is one of the" Czech churches with bones in". Felt it was about time we saw it. The cemetery got full in the middle ages and they started piling up the bones . Some artistic people/monks then made neat piles inside the chapel and even more artistic things like chandeliers from the bones. They think about 40,000 peoples' bones are here. Certainly there were lots of sculls staring at you from everywhere....
We went early..luckily.... as by the time we left 3 coaches had arrived.
Its motorway now. Good new tyres and away we go and before we know it we are in Germany. Back into Euro land. We have used 12 different currencies on this trip ( and been to 20 countries). Find spot for the night in Roth, south of Nurnberg.
Thurs 23rd June
We spot our first british vehicle we have seen for a very long time . We overtake and wave but get no response at all.....oh well!
Clive wants to go back to a campsite we have used before near Landau. Why?? Its probably going to rain and is not that warm....We find it, it rains, but we manage to get the tent up. There is no wifi . We got more wifi spots in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine than we have found in Germany. If we do get wifi here they want to charge....hello to an "advanced " country!!
Fri 24th June
Sunny start so we gradually dry all our stuff before packing it up. The night was okay though it did rain some more. Head for Namur. It rains again and is quite cold...weather worse than when we set off in mid April. We have now done a circle.... Follow Clive's "Zumo" to find an hotel and strike lucky again with it when we follow a lead to an hotel on the banks of the Meuse. Run by Chinese just outside Namur just off the N5 called" Jardin des The" in Jambe district. Watch huge barge go through a lock on the Meuse.
Sat 25th June
Raining and cold ,11c. BUT we hear that tomorrow in UK will be hot so head off west towards better weather!! Short trip to Brugge via the middle of Brussels ( much to Clive's disgust) for we went wrong and lost the right road through the middle. Naturally I liked looking at Brussels. Clive has never been to Brugge...I went a very long time ago. Found a B and B on the outskirts and motorbiked in to then walk around. Joined the tourists for a while. Weather improving.
Sun 26th June
Its overcast and rains. We get to Calais and it gets dry and a bit warmer. We cross the channel with the ferry booming its siren in dense fog....don't lets sink at sea now....Two miles out of Dover and the fog lifts and it gets hot!! I reach London by mid afternoon to see my daughter and family. Grandson Finn is walking...
Clive has gone straight to Norfolk, coming back down to London later in the week when I will have disappeared to Bali for daughter's wedding.
Mon 27th June
Reach home in + 30c hot sunny weather.
12,474 miles.
Clive and I have had a great trip. It has been interesting and I think different to our own preconceived ideas of Central Asia. We motorcycle well together but the motorcycling partnership has come to an end. Clive is off to Beirut having made his own decision to go and I have made my decision too....our partnership ends, amicably, and Clive and I will continue our lives separately.
Friday28th Sept.
It has been awhile since I have written but now I am off on a little trip round northern India followed by Australia where , ostensibly, I am seeing my daughter and new grandson etc but also hope to motorbike in Australia visiting other friends. I booked the flights way back in January and have not had time to concentrate on the detail some of which has changed! The trip in Nepal has now changed to Northern India. Going up the Spiti valley on a Royal Enfield 500cc. I believe there are two of us and a guide but I wait and see. The internal Indian flight from Delhi to Shimla has been cancelled and in spite of my protestations we have to go by car instead of a plane. I wanted to go by motorbike quite naturally! I am not happy about my life in an Indian drivers hands on Indian roads...rather it was my hands on a motorbike. The lady in the office suggested that it was safer to leave Delhi in a car. She was probably amazed to hear that I had already ridden a motorbike in Delhi. It has been very hard work finalising everything back home after very late plum harvest. I had to do an additional spray, cut grass , tidy trees etc many of them additional jobs to the normal end of season. It has been a difficult year plum wise. But I just made it, sitting now at the airport in my motorbike jacket and crash helmet beside me!! Bit of a nightmare plane journey because it was changed and also because I am then heading to Perth. First leg to Mumbai. Then Delhi. First flight 9 hours, arriving about 8 pm our time. Then it gets nasty setting off at about 1am our time...let's not dwell on that.
Saturday 29th Sept
Quite exhausted. Been travelling for 22 hours with virtually no sleep. Arrived in Simla safely . Guide here to meet us with the bikes. Life in the hands of the Indian driver was exactly as I feared. I met up with John the other rider and the driver at Delhi airport. At first the road was dual carriageway and things were not too bad. Plenty of overtaking, undertaking and weaving though. Still cows wandering, tractors, cycles and small motorbikes all making their way.The driver wanted to talk but his English accent was extreme and very hard to understand. Various stops for food and drink and then the road became normal main, full of traffic with lots of slow lorries. Overtaking became dire, lots of horn blaring and blind bend stuff. Then we left the plain and headed into the Himalayas on a very twisty road with slow lorries, buses and faster cars and motorbikes. Had to watch the road so didn't feel sick and plenty of hary moments. The only saviour is that the speed is low. Lots of horn peeping and squeezing into non existent spaces. We climbed a fair amount and now at about 2000m . Weather was hot on the plain but now pleasant to cool. I am particularly tired as could not sleep whilst in Mumbai airport for 5 hours. Spent the time finding the terminal, getting some money, playing with suitcases in security ( mindnumbing) and reading. Barclay debit card not working , might have to ring them. The car journey had been meant to have lasted 6 hours, it took 10 hours! The last bit took forever in the slow trafficky conditions. It would have been a long journey by bike but I know I would have been happier....especially the last bit.
Sunday 30th Sept
Nice day dawns. Had done some catching up sleeping but was disturbed in the night by scratching sounds, tiny stones moving and other noises. Gecko in my room? It went on....in my bathroom? Came to the conclusion it was monkeys outside. We had seen quite a lot on the road. Think they are Maqaques. Get introduced to my bike, a 500cc Royal Enfield. One of the modern ones with normal controls, electric start and EIS. Rucksack on back as no back seat to strap it to....big bag in back up van. Road is tarmac, great in places and varied in others. Traffic lessons as the morning goes by but not before we come across a glorious jam caused by the inevitable lorry that had lost an axle on a bend. A bus deciding to overtake the queue and meet the traffic coming the other way did not help. But on our bikes we squiggled through. We began the day at about 2000m, head down to a valley at 850m and then back up to 2000m by the end of the day. Alam the guide leads at a very nice pace and we have some fun food and drink stops with lovely views over steep valleys not unlike Laos. The back up van amazingly keeps up with us; only an Indian driver could have kept up with motorbikes on a road with traffic and bends because only an Indian driver overtakes as if he is a motorbike! We are in the district of Himachal Pradesh. It is between Pakistan and Tibet. Around Simla , where we began the day, there are lots of apple trees and the apple harvest is in full swing. I have a feeling some end up in England..I am sure I have seen boxes of apples with Himachal on the side. Tonight we have reached a place called Saravan. It is off the main road and at the end of a road. It has a great temple and that is what we have come here to look at. Mostly a wooden structure that you had to walk bare foot around. If you then put a little cotton hat on and locked up your cameras with any leather you were wearing, you could climb right up and look at some of the shrines which were impressive with lots of silver. The top of the temple had real gold ornamental things on it's roof. Far less tatty then any other Buddhist temple I have seen. The town has some nice old original houses and is off the tourist track. WiFi and ATMs do not exist round here though mobile coverage is good. Tomorrow we head further north east.
Monday 1st Oct
Wake up to a fight between two creatures in the ceiling of my bedroom. One creature seems to have caught the other...one is wailing... Admire the view and off we go. Sun is shining, it's quite warm even at 1700m. Trundle down the mountain , back to the main road. Not very far to go today but the road surface worsens to dirt much of the time. Bit dusty! Have fun doing photo sessions of rocky overhangs, deep ravines and ourselves. We are now pretty near the Tibet border. Our final road is up but is tarmac on the whole as it is used by the military for patrols. It's not very wide though.... We end up in a luxury campsite. Large tent with bathroom attached, electricity. We are now at 2600m though it's still warm in the nice sun. We have arrived early and so get a guide and get taken off into the hillside across the river, on foot. He takes us to a village. They are restoring their temple which got burnt down in 1998. Cows and calves wander the path; we are befriended by a nice dog who walks with us, we watch women heave rocks to help build some house walls ; we taste wild peaches...the original peach, it's tiny like an apricot and very good out of which they make alcohol once it has been dried;we see plenty of apple trees...this is the main earner; we see two shops...one is the general store and the other important shop is the sewing lady with her sewing machine; and we admire the turquoise coloured river and wild datura plants. There are large fir trees of some sort on these hillsides, the treeline being some 3500m I guess. Gathering hair from a certain type of goat with silky hair is another industry ...ie for making pashminas. I think we saw some with a flock of sheep on the road. Also get told about the ways with which they get the apple crop down from the mountain. Horses with baskets but also baskets on a kind of wire lift system like cable cars. A lorry then sits where the basket ends up and fills his lorry. They appear to be boxed up all neatly on the field in the final box so no bruising as it travels down the mountain side. Back to camp and then eventually the evening meal served outdoors. By now it's dark and really quite cold so on with lots of clothes. After supper a hot water bottle for the bed is offered, as is a bucket of hot water. The water has been made hot in a large metal tank heated with a wood fire. Wood is expensive here apparently. They are not allowed to chop trees down.... Hence heating their houses through the long cold winter is very expensive
Tuesday 2nd October
The dog that followed us stayed round camp and went to sleep outside my tent. In the night many dogs barked including him! John, in the next door tent, could also hear another dog close by and he got up and found it with a chain and metal spiky collar on it's neck. He took off the chain and it seems continued to have a fairly sleepless night! The guys this morning told us that there was probably a leopard about and that the villagers put these metal collars on to protect their dogs from the leopards. Our mut/dog hung about till we were about to go and then disappeared. The camp owner has lost 3 dogs to leopards Head up valley first to explore...our guide has not been here before. End up in a very rural village at 3000m. Traditional old people in wonderful clothing and old houses. Must be tough here in the winter entirely cut off...the road is not open then. The road is rough in places with the odd river/stream crossing. My Royal Enfield throbs along with it's low revving 2 cylinder 500cc engine. We meet lorries on bends hanging over the river but all move slowly and with much hooting on the horn all is well...the occasional hold up where lorries meet each other and there is not room. It is a lovely valley and the road hangs from the cliffs above it giving great views and worrying drops from the unguarded edge to the road. We back track to the main road. It too is rough in parts with plenty of dust from the lorries but we are soon off up another valley to Kalpa....it's at 2700m. This time an hotel but as I write the electricity has failed!! Time to find the head torch !
Wednesday 3rd Oct
Mum's birthday. I am writing this in the dark, head torch still in use!! We arrived in this place, Tabo, just before dark. I think the electricity went off as we arrived and then it was dark. We were given a candle! Big problem really is that I cannot charge anything and being the modern traveller that I am I have various things that need charging not least the Garmin edge that is tracking my route. I am getting better at beer drinking as wine has not been in evidence since the first day. Tonights place is at 3200m and is very near the Tibet border. We have had to get an Inner Line Permit to travel here. The hotel is attached go a Buddhist monastery but as it has been dark since we arrived we have yet to get the lie of the land We had to start late as the permit could not be got till 10am. It could not be got the day before because it was a holiday day...reason Ghandi's birth and death anniversary/bank holiday. So we set off about 11am to cover about 150kms. Should be no problem but we have ridden the most spectacular roads hanging on the sides of mountains. Some across scree slopes, some hanging over rivers, some cut out of rock and others where landslides are common. Great tarmac in places and rough in others. Lots of photo stops, occasional traffic jam where the road was inadequate. Wonderful to see India where it is clean, not teeming with people, the air is clean and little traffic. Incredibly high mountains but now in a part that is not green, rather like Morocco but oasis filled with apple trees rather than palms and all so much deeper and higher. This morning we began in a greener part. We have eaten vegetable curries non stop. So far all okay. No one suffering from altitude problems yet...we have been up to 3600m today. Crossed a few little streams, bumped along on very gravelly parts and enjoyed a strip of tarmac that allowed me to get into top gear for the first time in the trip.
Thursday 4th Oct
We still do not have electricity when we wake but the sun is shining and it is warm in the sun shine. We have breakfast outdoors and then walk off to go and see the old monastry of Tabo. Begun in 996 ad it is a mud structure. We solemnly peer at various buddas and admire the wall paintings of endless gods. (the electricity in this hotel has just gone off!!!!). All impressively old. Short ride today to Kaza ...on the way we divert to another monastry perched high above the Spiti river at 3880m on a rocky outcrop with amazing views. The monastry claims it needs money to stop it falling down. They were not exactly hard at work trying to preserve it. Few monks doing anything. Wonderful setting though...very old...the oldest in the valley. The village nearby was very neat and tidy making it hard to believe this is India. In fact the Himalayas have so far been pretty clean...rubbish seems to be under some kind of control. It is hard to imagine how they survive the winter which saw the first snowfall up high last night. No-one seems to have heating. Doors remain open whilst it is cold outside so they must be a lot tougher than us! Here we are tonight, 3600m high; now the sun has gone down my room is getting very cold. The windows were open...they are now as closed as they can be due to the very bad fit. I have put on all my warm clothes and no doubt will eat in my jacket as we have done for the past few nights. This is only beginning of October what is it like in Dec..?? The last monastry we saw gets cut off at the end of the month for I suppose 6 months. I think this town does too.... The scenery continues to be fantastic as we follow the Spiti river up and up.. Now very dry and barren brown but pockets of green round the villages. The road has hung into many a scree slope while one hopes it will remain so till I am through. In other places we are squeezing through a gorge. Tarmac alternates with dusty gravel. Villages sometimes have somewhere to buy a cup of chi/tea and we stop in rough looking places to get superb vegetable curries, rice, etc . We stop often to take photos....
Friday 5th Oct
I have just been handed a lantern powered by a battery for the electricity keeps going on and off. I tried to use the computer but just as I had written my email the power went. The temperature in my room hovers around 11c. This hotel probably shuts at the end of the month and has not invested in a heating system or even a fireplace. By day it is fine for it is hot in the sun..a bit like skiing...but once the sun goes down its cold. All the washbasins that I have used so far in all the hotels look great until you turn on the tap or let the water out down the plughole....all the water ends up draining on to the floor and/or your feet. Whether it then percolates through the building remains a mystery. We have now done monastries having seen two more today. The getting to them has been wonderful. Our roads continue to defy the terrain and hang into scree slopes or rocky edges. These roads are no good for anyone who might fear going along a road that has no edge and has a drop off of hundreds of metres. When the going is gravel great care on a motorbike has to be taken!! The views have been spectacular, the heights amazing. We have been to one of the highest villages in Asia...4500m and to more around that height. The monastries have of course been at the very top.. Not sure that a life of meditation is mine. We have seen very few monks but guess they are around. The position of the monastries way up high is fantastic and the views and peace and tranquility amazing. Luckily we have seen them without too many others being around but at one we met a bunch of Ukrainians travelling around in 8 tourist vehicles. Once tourism arrives in full force all will change for the worst. This area only opened up ( meaning got a road to it) ten years ago. Before that access was on foot or horse. You can see that the road has already altered their way of life. Nevertheless all the places we visited today will be cut off by the end of the month. Highest point today was 4500m, but that is not the highest point we go on this trip. We have been able to stop and take photos when ever...our progress quite slow at times. This is the beauty of travelling by bike..you can stop so easily. We met a belgian couple last night who are travelling by tourist car and they have to hang out of the windows to take photos and have also been scared out of their skin by the driver and the road. The dining room in this hotel...we were here last night as we have done a circle around, is equally as cold as my room. Thus all guests dress appropriately for supper ...in full winter gear ie anoraks. One pair even sat and ate in their hats as well as their puffer anoraks.
Saturday 6th October
A short day as all we are doing is moving nearer to the high pass that we have to get over. The road will be rough.! So today was easy and we reached Losar. It is a village at 3900m. We are staying in a homestay but it seems pretty good and the common room has a small stove in it (hurrah) over which some of the supper is being cooked. Having arrived early, John and I went for a walk or rather a climb! Very soon I was gasping for air as we climbed up. We reached about 4250m. It was pretty steep! Back down to the main part of the village and watched a couple ploughing with two yaks. Lovely looking soil. The plough was wooden and the shear was metal....single furrow. As we watched that more yaks were let out from somewhere and came bounding over the fields. The males, black and big, were being very frisky, holding their big bushy tails high and looking quite fierce. Sadly it was getting dark and taking photos was out. This is our highest night stop. We leave the Spiti valley tomorrow. Also leaving will be two different sets of Israeli couples...one lot hitchhiking around and the other ones by motorbike two up. The hitchhikers we helped along this morning and then they have stood for hours in this village trying to get a lift. Five vehicles went by in total. They are now staying in a cheaper place at $4 per night for the room. The biker pair are staying here. We met another bunch of Israelis yesterday.....
Sunday 7th October
At 3900m it has been quite cold at night and our back up truck does not want to start. We watch it being towed up and down the road but eventually it starts. We say goodbye to the two up on one Enfield israelis....they are very low to the ground. The sun shines...I dress up in all my warm layers and feel like a trussed chicken....then dark glasses on for the sun is bright and it feels like we are off skiing... The road is rough and gravelly and off we go to head off up the pass. First we stop to photo a bunch of Yaks..then its concentration on this road. Very little traffic but some quite tricky rocky bits and watery bits to cross. Soon at the top where there is a buddhist thing at 4500m. Down to 3300m , cup of chi, and then up again to negotiate another pass. The israelis have bit the dust...back brake pedal hit a rock and basically is hanging off....time for a truck ride. This time its some good tarmac mixed with road under construction and traffic after joining a main road. Truly interesting riding..negotiating dirt bits with trucks on the side of a mountain. Amazing passes, so high and so far to come down. Only done this before in the Andes. We end the day by dropping right down to 2000m and ending in Manali.. The "raid himalayia" is taking place by arriving in Manali tonight like us but heading in the opposite direction. Our guide has done it three times. The dirt section that we took 3hrs over they have to do in 2 hrs 40 mins. So...we are not too bad..!!!! The best do it in under 100 mins. It is a rally over 5 days. Saw some more yaks as we came down. ..this is many more than I saw in Asia where I had expected to see lots.
Monday 8th October
A day off. But no hanging around..we are led off up to Old Manali and shown a temple and shops. It becomes obvious that this is a back packer place. We watch two guys hammering/splitting a large rock on a building site. Their only tools are chisels and hammers. Their aim is to split the rock into pieces they can lift. They manage to do one split in about half an hour. Walking on we pass a dead dog lying on some steps. How long will he lie there? Off to another temple in a lovely forest of Deodar trees. The temple is being repaired...its made of wood,( it was built in 1558 )...and all the planks are being tooled on the spot by hand...men working hard with saws and hand planes etc. We have seen women working on sites....they are often the carriers of cement or stones.Lunch in an Italian restaurant where we had better pizzas than in Italy and then down to new Manali where we shopped. Manali is a centre of all things woven as in the Himalayan hat and pashminas. Pashminas made from Angora rabbits,from goat hair , from Cashmere and wool mixed with silk. We saw a white angora rabbit being used as a tourist attraction.
Tuesday 9th October
A long day of about 260kms. We have had to change plan a bit as internal flight from Shimla to Delhi has been cancelled by the airline. So today we get to Shimla and then next day go to the guide's home town of Dehra Dun.... where we can get a flight back to Delhi.It is a day of twisty tarmac roads , wandering cows, donkeys, dogs, horses, other bikes and trucks. One section had lots of trucks grinding their way up and down hill, sometimes getting jammed as they went round tight corners. We got dirty in the dust and filth from their exhausts but it was fun biking on the emptier sections. Cows wander the road everywhere, sometimes getting hit as evidenced by the three dead cows I saw. They sleep on the road, by the road, anywhere. One was sleeping by some entrance steps to where we had lunch. They wander amongst shops too. Dogs do much the same, all peeing etc where everyone walks.We arrived in the gathering dark. There was a traffic jam because of road works but we managed to wriggle through and reach the hotel. John's back light wasn't working.....
Wednesday 10th October
Another bright and sunny day dawns. We are at 2000m now and it is not so cold. The room last night was heated so that was a luxury. Yet more Israelis around especially at early breakfast. Wifi not working which was a pity..... This ends up as a rather dusty day. Some of the road is under construction and that means dusty! Otherwise it was tarmac and excellent in places. Ended up down on the plain and out of the hills and back into busy India. I feel it is less mucky and better organised than 10 years ago. The roads are better. Less oxen and carts around. Faster mopeds/ little bikes. More tractors less carts. Less rubbish perhaps. Maybe it gets worse further south. I have got Mumbai to wander around yet for a day so we will see. Nevertheless riding into Dehra Dun was a tiny bit worse than London traffic with loads of small bikes all trying to beat each other. Had to keep your wits about you and keep up. "Might "and the horn are still master of the roundabout or junction.Have said goodbye to my bike and tomorrow fly from here to Mumbai via Delhi.....that is the plan.
Thursday 11th October
At first last nights hotel wanted to charge for wifi, but after I moaned they allowed me 3 hours free....which I did not really use because of time pressures!! The hot water was really hot and I had a great bath not shower. Breakfast included and was fine. I mention all this to compare with tonights hotel......Our back up truck driver drove us to the airport at Dehra dun. I am very glad I had been riding my own bike all these days. It was distinctly worrying at times as we overtook without much acceleration directly into the path of oncoming vehicles. One can say it was all very indian driving....its not for me. Made it though. John and I flew to Delhi together and then went our separate ways. I carried on to Mumbai. Flights went fine. Arriving at about 4pm I was relaxed about getting to my prebooked hotel. When phoned they claimed there was no booking. Phone call to UK by me to my tour organiser. They had got the dates wrong and none of us..me included , had noticed. That hotel, 4 star apparently , was now full. They got me into another 4 star hotel. I had stayed in the airport whilst it got sorted. So then had to get a taxi...this had to be got from a prebook counter. Cheap though and set price. Then you went into a certain queue and got allocated your taxi. My man looked pretty miserable, skinny type,anxious....no english. Still we made it. He and I were rather amazed that at the entrance to the hotel the car was gone over with some kind of drug detection and other security devices. We got in...I then gave the driver a dollar....he was thrilled to bits....made his day apparently. A dollar is about 60p.I then was subjected to an airport type screening before getting through the door of the hotel. Apparently this will happen everytime I go in and out. Why have I been able to stay in all these other hotels without this nonsense?This 4 star hotel is all that I hate. They are charging over the top for ordinary things. Wifi....$20 per HOUR!!! ....everywhere else has been free. The room...its the same as any others really. Hot water not so hot as last night. Tea amaking facilities just the same. Bathroom....okay ...no water spilling over your feet. Electricity controlled by key so you are not supposed to charge things when you are out. The lift...no stairs...is controlled by sticking your finger in some spot and then putting your room card over the same spot till a green light comes on and then you can go. Ridiculous!!!! Again..to get into my room I have to put my finger over the middle of a spot and then this card. It is all so NOT ME.!! Food is a ridiculous price too...This whole place is for men who seem happy to allow their companies to be ripped off. It is bad value for money. Tomorrow I hope to find an internet cafe...
Friday 12th October
I had a good lie in bed reading , then went to check whether breakfast was included. It would have been in the 'other' hotel. But here ofcourse it would be extra....an arm and a leg extra. I could have made another phone call to the Uk but didn"t. I have one or two things to sort with the tour company to whom I paid a lump sum for all the flights etc. Out of their control, two internal indian flights were cancelled and alternative arrangements made...how much difference moneywise has that made? And then this hotel? Off into the heat outside I went to find a cyber cafe. Smart hotel it might have been but within yards one was in the Mumbai filth. Feeling very conspicuous I walked on, picking my way through rubbish, foul smells and holes in the " pavement". It was true life though for the masses which my hotel was not. After a while , thinking the neighbour hood looked about right for a cyber cafe I asked and was quickly seating in a darkish little spot where I spent about 5 hours looking at photos, trying to upload and checking emails etc. That 5 hours cost me $2.....in the hotel that would have been $100. Back to the hotel ,frisked by security...literally....before getting in the door. Really can't understand why they are quite so paranoic....I know the Taj hotel was bombed a few years ago.....but the life inside the hotel seems rather out of touch with the outside. I am now sitting in the lobby waiting to go to the airport...its rather too cold in the air conditioning because I am dressed for the outside. Tea has graciously been served and will no doubt have cost about 20 times the price of "chi " on the outside.....I am happy with "chi". We have had some delicious cups of chi, some flavoured with cardomom ( lovely), some with ginger..again lovely. Always hot and good and the cost?....about 30p. I watch others being frisked at the door...having to empty their pockets etc. Women are invited into a cubicle, men are frisked in public....I said I was happy to be "done" in public which rather put them out! Jobs for the boys and one woman for the females....there are 3 of them employed outside the door. This hotel is snobbish, eletist and over the top. ....
Saturday 13th October
By about 6pm I couldn't stand the hotel any longer and took one of the outrageously expensive taxis to the airport. In a tuktuk or mini cab it would have cost 100 rupees maybe....in their car it cost 650 rupees to do a 5 min journey. Thats $2 versus $15. So I hung around the airport a while before starting the endless check in palaver, which eventually led to arriving in Singapore this morning at 6.30am after about 2hours sleep . Thinking I was feeling good enough I got rid of any bags in Left luggage and headed off shopping in the city. I have a slight hole burning in my pocket because I have won my battle with Bupa travel over my last Morocco holiday and the delayed departure claim. The insurance ombudsman has upheld my claim. Hurrah and so I will eventually get a payment. Feeling rich with this future pay out which I thought I would not get I fancied a new camera and Singapore is a good spot. Asking for the right shopping centre , I bought a new camera. By then fatigue had set in and I went back to the airport (they are becoming a bit like home), where I sat around near electric outlets re charging things. Its a good airport. Then another night flight to take me here to Perth and to my daughter Emma who was waiting for me. End of Indian adventures.
Australia
Wednesday 24th October
I am sitting in a caravan, rented for the night in Gundagai. It has a stretch of wooden railway track across a flood plain that is the longest timber truss bridge ever built in Australia. But not only is there this old wooden aquaduct and bridge built of wood for the railway there is also very near it and also across the same flood plain a wooden road aquaduct and bridge. They look amazing and you can picture the men at work on them. The stupid settlers of old settled on the flood plain originally and then ,of course, got flooded out with great loss of life in 1852 or so!! The camp/caravan/ cabin site is also beside the river...the Murrumbidgee River. Idyllic. I left Emma and Mike after a week with them in their new house to pay a visit to some friends dotted round Australia. Flew to Melbourne and stayed with Vanny and Ian whilst I bought a motorbike. Sounds easy and infact was not too difficult. We had contacted a private seller and so had things lined up. Mike wants a bike to do his test on so it had to be no bigger than a 250cc. Opted for a Honda. Took a bit of a gamble on the registration by getting it sorted before I saw the bike. The plan is that I use it now and then ride it all the way back to Perth....more later... However here I am after a day of riding 500 plus kilometres in the direction of Sydney. Seen pretty birds, riden lovely empty curving roads, seen dead wombats, porcupines and kangaroos. Got pretty stiff in the knees but things will adjust!!! Bit cold most of the day but now....heaven....the first evening since leaving England ,about a month ago,that I feel warm. Hurrah.
Tuesday 30th October
I headed to Inverell to visit a couple who had come to work for us on the farm for the plum season. Elvie and Jon. Elvie is a pyschiatric nurse and Jon was a Postie. Jon has now stopped work and Elvie does it part time. Their real hobby is archery and the whole family has been doing it for years. They also love travelling. They had said they lived up a rough track! My mobile did not work once I got near where they lived so no phoning for guidance. I found their road and knew it was quite long. It was dirt by then. I went all the way to the end and ended up in a farmyard. " No, said the farmer, THAT track, pointing at the merest tracks in the grass. Up I went , through a gate and on . The track was more definable but rougher so on and on and then in a clearing there was a house. It was pretty remote! They own 1300 acres of scrub. Excellent place for practicing their archery and killing a few animals with their arrows. It was a lovely spot. They have made a pretty garden with lots of fruit trees, water for which comes from a dam. Water for house from the rain via the roof, electricity from solar panels and bottle gas for cooking. They have a mains phone line put in free by the government but have to use satellite for computer. Great visit Headed off down to Inverell to get petrol and then it rained on me. At least I have used my waterproofs that I have carried around for a month now. Long day to reach Lightning Ridge. Slight deviation from the route but Elvie insisted it would be interesting looking at an opal mining place. Put me in touch with a mental health work collegue who showed me round the mine workings. He himself had prospected with his father and was currently living in an old railway carriage up on the ridge. He was fairly eccentric I would think looking at the outside of his living quarters. He introduced me to Poverty Pete an old englishman from Bournemouth who had arrived to mine opals. He had succeeded too. However his remaining days " on the ridge" will not be surrounded by beauty as it is one chaotic mess of heaps of gravel and mine shafts, bits of broken metal,vehicles and all sorts of abandoned paraphernalia associated with mining opals. You can see why they need a mental health centre here. Every "home" was homemade from bits and pieces and the place screamed " broken dreams" at you. Men chasing riches and failing. A tough and rough spot on the ridge. The town was fine and no problem.
Wednesday 31st Oct
Suddenly it is hot. I wake to a cloudless sky and it is warm, no , hot! Yesterday I had 3 layers , today just a t shirt ( plus jacket). Now moaning that it is too hot as it zooms over 30 degrees. The air is so dry and the countryside looks so parched. Dead trees, dry golden grass. Harvest for grain has begun and the huge road trains( with only one trailor) tip the grain at a depot in huge heaps in the open air. No worry about rain for now. I think onward journey might be rail for the grain. Little traffic on the road, just me, a few caravans and some trucks. A motorbike did come the other way.... Highlights were emu and a dead stripey huge lizard thing....Goanna? Reached Bourke nice and early, settled for an authentic australian hotel in town and walked along the Darling river levy in searing heat! There was some shade from the lovely trees and lots of birds to look at. Otherwise Bourke is yet another australian town , built on a grid pattern and well spread out with huge wide roads. The poor Darling river is way below its level of 100 years ago because too much water is being abstracted from it. It is a nasty green colour and is in bad shape. They have taken up cotton growing here as well. .....why can't we learn not to do the rivers in. The route is on the edge of the outback. The outback is more colourful....here it is more open because it is farmed.
Thursday 1st Nov
Slightly cloudy and not as hot as I leave town. Cobar, 150kms along looks quite modern and I feel encouraged to keep going to Wilcannia on the Barrier highway thinking it will be similar...I was wrong. But before I got there I stopped at a roadhouse where there was a motorcyclist heading the opposite way. He looked like a hells angel type but was very nice and helpful. Roadhouses are friendly places anyway. He told me to watch out for Emus..." look like bushes of they have their heads down" but are stupid and panic. So far today I had called it goat day for all I had seen were wild goats. Told me where to stay once I reached Broken Hill but more importantly told me where to stay in Wilcannia. Broken hill was another 200kms on from Wilcannia and I did not think I would reach there easily. I have stopped in his recommendation in Wilcannia. Its a motel and fine. The rest of the town is very basic and hardly any of it. Its beside the Darling river but it has seen better times. The motel is behind the petrol station/roadhouse and I don't think I would have seen it.
Friday 2nd Nov
Had to be out of the motel by 9am so off to Broken hill. Gained a half hour in time zone change between NSWand S.Australia and reached town by late morning. Countryside had been very desert like with scrubby bushes and more goats but some Emu. Headed for a backpacker place recommended in the Lonely Planet guide. Even though still am they said no problem about taking a room then for the night. Good and friendly with small pool, free wifi etc for a good price. Broken Hill is famous for silver mining and is where that large mining co BHP Billiton began. Huge hill overlooks the town. Did a bit of museum stuff, saw the "Boundary Rider" solid silver tree. It is a table centre piece weighing about 8 kilos of pure silver made by a jeweller, ..and then relaxed. Had missed the tour down a mine which was a shame but they only did them in the morning. Chatting later one of the australians said had I heard that rumble? Every evening about that time they do an explosion in the mine right under the hotel!!! They now mine stuff called Galena which has silver and other minerals in it. Cooked a meal of fantastic steak in the backpacker kitchen.
Saturday 3rd November
Obviously Emu day! See plenty of them including dead ones which I had not seen before. Had not topped up with petrol as I left town because had only done about 50 miles and the map looked as though it had places that I would be going through. This became a bit of a worry after 200 kms and no petrol stations. Little bike is economic but only has 12 litre tank. I stop in the next tiny gathering of houses. Has cafe but no petrol..however lady says only 44km more. Have cup of tea with her. She soon tells me that she has fallen out with two of the 7 other inhabitants here. She has been running her cafe/truck stop here for 11 years but now her trade was being ruined by these two incomers who were taking her business. Presumably the other 5 inhabitants have taken sides!!! I think to attract more truckers she needed to do something about her sloppy appearance....that might have done the trick. The decor of the cafe was tastefully decorated with old hessian sacks....interesting!! Thought I would stop by the road but now being attacked by flies. Head on...looks very desert like but told later this is normal, not a desert and it would rain on Monday.! Have made contact with Linda who happens to be with friends of hers in Quorn near Port Augusta just 40 kms off my route. Linda, not at all a tall or big female , rode a 400cc motorbike from England to Australia, all alone, aged 59. It took her nigh on 2 years. She had an australian pension to collect when she arrived.!! Its got hot again and am getting short of petrol again as I arrive in Quorn. Linda's friends have an amazing own built ( he is a carpenter) house with a wonderful view. Very laid back open plan home. Took 6 years to build with their own hands.
Sunday 4th Nov
We had arranged....because Linda wakes early(!!)to go up some gorge to see Yellow footed Rock Wallabies at dawn. So because Linda was making plenty of noise I woke and was ready by 6.30am. It was already pretty warm as we got into Linda's old car. Her bike for some reason had been in the USA and now needed reregistering and was in Adelaide. Linda's car was pretty old...but we arrived at the gorge duly saw and photographed the Wallabies and also plodded 5 kms in the increasingly hot sun. Back to the house where the owners had sensibly had a lie in. Plan is to ride to Port Lincoln where Linda's house is and stay there one night. It is a bit of a detour but means I will have a more interesting ride tomorrow along the coast. I leave in searing heat and it seems to get hotter and hotter. It is so hot that I cannot think about anything except how uncomfortable I am. My feet are boiling in my boots, my bum is uncomfortable on the seat and the air has the feel of a sauna blasting across my face. I am in a sauna fully dressed!! I believe it hit 40c. Eventually it cools as I get nearer to Port Lincoln. Linda never made it in her car.! It broke down after about 50kms. Luckily there was both a hidden key to her house and a lodger. So lodger and I had a good meal together feasting on the fish he had just caught out to sea that afternoon. Linda stayed with yet another friend in Whyalla.....near her car!!
Monday 5th Nov
Very windy and very overcast but as I step outside I realise its pretty warm still....like a bath this time and not a sauna. Not exactly as cold as it looked from inside. Unfortunately the wind is galeforce and pretty head on. The warmth makes it nicer. However after a while it becomes less and a sea fret comes over the land and it gets quite cold. Then it gets sunnier and warmer and then it threatens rain on both sides. There is a fire on the right quite far away. All the changes keep me entertained as well as the vast fields of grain on either side being combined. Very strange scenery coast side as fields of grain abutted sand dunes of white sand. On the road I was having fun with a tailess looking lizard called a "Sleepy Lizard" I thought the first one I saw had lost its tail but then I saw more and more. They are about 12 inches long and look like a slow moving twig crossing the road. They freeze when traffic comes ( not a good idea) and move pretty slowly. Tried to get a photo of it with its tongue out but I was never quick enough. There were lots of them. Reached Ceduna as planned. Apparently been lucky not to get wet. Lightning has played havoc with electricity...many black outs and the wind had set off more than the one fire that I saw.
Tuesday 6th Nov
Beautiful sunny clear blue sky morning as I set off at 7.45am. Cold though, so I have all my layers on...all! There is no wind which is good. The first signpost I see says Penong.....asia????? Very confusing. Soon clouds bubble up but still no wind. Reach the area called Yalata . It is an aboriginal homeland. All gumtrees and bushes and you can imagine the aboriginees there. Supposedly there should be plenty of camels, kangeroos and wombats but they must all be asleep as I see none except dead wombats on the road. Not even the Sleepy Lizard is around. Meet a couple of motorcyclists heading the same way. They are going quicker than me and are trying to reach somewhere much further on than my ambitions run too. Later meet another single biker who thinks my bike is doing very well. He was on a much bigger Honda. So to the Nullarbor plain....the Australians seem to make a big thing of it. Having ridden across a fair proportion of it now I have to say that the Sahara is a great deal more boring. This plain gets 8 inches of rain per year...yes desert...but it is covered with really quite large green bushes and in some cases a few trees. My eyes keep searching for a glimpse of an animal but still none. Eventually all I see today is one Emu...a very poor animal day. The Nullarbor roadhouse was a good tea stop. It was selling Nullarbor tourist knicknacks as well as very expensive fuel. Travelling the incredibly boring Western Sahara is a great deal cheaper as the fuel is subsidised there. I also got to musing about the price of fuel in the Himalayas which did not increase in price however remote it was. There the fuel tanker would have had many a rough road to travel whilst here the road was perfect and not really that remote . Umm..... The "border crossing" came and went. They wanted to know if I had any fruit...isn"t this one country? They then took the reg number of my unregistered bike. Wonder when they will twig that it is unregistered....will they seek me out!! By getting to this part of Western australia today I have gained a rather ridiculous amount of 1 and 3/4 hours time zone change. I made a little use of it , and went 80 kms further than planned and reached Mundrabilla motel. Probably should have done more but that was 560 kms for the day. Enough. Tomorrow I gain another 3/4 hours to finally get back to Perth time. No mobile , no wifi tonight; its mostly truckers, some mobile homers on the move and me!
Wednesday 7th Nov
Another beautiful morning at 6.30am. Couldn't make the time change....woke up early. Lovely colours but sadly it soon starts to cloud over with loads of 'fluffy clouds'. It is really quite cold...again have maximum clothes on. Two emu are the wildlife highlight but today I spot the cyclists. I was told I would see some cyclists. Caught up with one just before a roadhouse and then found another there. Both...separate from each other...were men from Sydney out to prove their middle aged manhood ( midlife crisis) by cycling Sydney to Perth. We had an entertaining chat together. To do the miles today I am keeping going by visiting each roadhouse and having a break. At the next one Caiguna are two motorcyclists on fully loaded BMW's. It is fate , for these are two brits that I have followed on their website ....2ridetheworld. Simon and Lisa. We have friends in common and have a good chat. They are going the opposite way to me so it was goodbye after our chat and I headed off down the longest straight stretch of road in Australia....all 146.7kms or 90 miles. Things were getting quite monotonous I have to confess. I also am amazed that there is no mobile coverage down this road. This is a main trunk road...lonely...big distances...surely it should have coverage? The indians can do it in the Himalayas why can't the australians do it in gently rolling countryside? Decide that I will push on to Norseman at the end. At least I will find a town and cheaper petrol. Another con of this road is the huge hike in petrol prices. Too difficult for deliveries! How come the indians delivered in the himalayas over rough roads with no hike in prices.? If normal price here is 145 then 199 is a rip off, but that is what they were charging in the middle. Push on with the bit between my teeth and get here about 5pm. I did like the camaraderie of the Nullarbor road. One couple I kept seeing ended up here as well and were eating in the same place tonight. Another chat. Found myself a cabin. Brilliant...could sleep 6 ! Tele, fridge, kettle, cooker...the lot. Heater too...its cold.
Thursday 8th Nov
Try and sit outside in the morning with my cup of tea but the flies are already about. They have been around all the trip. Not masses but really annoying, constantly around your face. Stopping in the outback they will have you on your way in about 10 mins. Just time to do a pee and they are beginning to send you mad.. Norseman was a horse. The founder of this town was a Shetlander who called himself a norseman and then called his horse Norseman. The horse pawed the ground in this place and got a gold ingot in his shoe. So Norseman the horse discovered gold. They are still mining gold here....9,000 lbs a year at £900 per ounce?...... thats not masses really. Relaxed now, have destination in sight. Decide to take a dirt road shortcut....if I see the turn off. I do and head off. Its tarmac for quite a while, then good graded dirt but no signposts. I am looking for a town called Cascade half way along....in the end a rare vehicle appears , slows down and is helpful....and yes I am on the right track. Saw a big snake cross the road...no idea what it was and also saw 2 black swans on a bit of water. Made it back to the main road correctly. Bit of a relief....saved 50kms . Ravensthorpe was the nights stop. Stayed in the local hotel/motel/pub and found wifi at the Community services centre......till 5pm. Food whilst travelling has always had to be bought before 7.30pm...they stop serving around then. Makes for an early night hence the early mornings!
Friday 9th Nov
Paper thin walls of motel so woken by others getting up at 5am. Sun is up and shining. Snooze, but in the end find myself leaving at 8am. It was warmer and eventually I stripped off a layer...and then another...much warmer than yesterday. Try going through a National Park. Its dirt road but graded. Boring, boring...saw nothing but more and more bushes. Yes nice flowers but 65kms of them? One kangeroo and 3 lizards as well! Not worth the detour for me. Finally Albany...strange place but at least have digital technology and sit and play wifi in a cafe. 54kms and I reach Denmark where I meet Emma and Mike again. I am going to babysit their children while they are at a wedding here. Mike admires his bike....its nearly done 7000 kms since we bought it and now is dirty. Have next two weeks to make it look better and service it....Mike does his test during that time.....no hanging around here.!!
Sunday 11th Nov
Ten years to the day that I finished my Round the World trip in 2002. Today I reach Yallingup with the bike...it has reached its new home. About 6800kms in 19 days on the road. Three days staying still. Average of 225 miles over 19 days or 265 miles over 16 days.
1 st October
First new diary for this new website for me. After two years apart Clive and I are back together again. He arrived back in Norfolk not long before the plum harvest. It has been a very busy plum harvest this year after two years of really bad harvests so that was good. It began late and believe it or not is still ongoing as I leave to go on this , our latest motorcycling adventure. The idea was conceived around Clive's earlier bookings of "houseswaps" in Africa with his place in Portugal. Not all could fit in with me and the plums so we have ended up with a week in someone's house in Zanzibar. That is our first destination after leaving Cape Town.We hope to reach there in early November.
The bikes began their journey by sea about a month ago on a container vessel. They have arrived...yesterday. Clive too has departed already to Cape Town via Dubai to see his son and I set off tonight having hopefully tied up a multitude of loose ends here.
Getting the carnet this time round was a far more difficult job than 6 years ago. The carnet is the passport for the bike and is issued by the RAC. Whilst before one nice man had it all under control, this time two people made a mess of it and it cost twice as much. In the end we got there.
I have forgotten what I put in the panniers that went with the bikes and am hoping that I have remembered all the right things. I have one hour before being taken to King's Lynn station .
Having read this I now hope you will all emigrate with me to our new website for writing....
www.ninaplumbe.co.uk
That is where I will carry on...hope it will all work!
Oct 5th.
Just to remind you that the diary being written on www.ninaplumbe.co.uk.