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Are you a TRAVELLER? Do you fancy riding a motorcycle above the clouds, Jimi Hendrix, insane ideas, salt miners crotch, masochistic desires, rough seas on Drake Passage, playing with Tuk Tuks, riding into a pig, Rave-scene, trance music, rifles in your face, the best Tequila in the world, riding to the top of Everest, stomach explosions and much more? Then you're reading the right newsletter! |
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"The Total Paris-Dakar 2001(The) route was widely praised by the competitors - finally came to an end at the highly symbolic Lac Rose Jan 22. The motorcycle class enjoyed little suspense, but that is to take away nothing from the achievements of either KTM or Fabrizio Meoni, who came out on top of the prematurely interrupted battle between himself, Richard Sainct (KTM) and Juan Roma (BMW). In the cars, on the other hand, the battle raged all the way to the end, both on and off the piste, to finally crown the first ever lady victor - Jutta Kleinschmidt (Mitsubishi). This morning at Lac Rose the last special saw 'ties' in both the motorcycle and car classes, with wins for Giovanni Sala and Kari Tiainen (KTM) and Jose Maria Servia and Jean-Louis Schlesser (Schlesser-Renault-Elf) respectively."
Plan where to be when!If you know of any events of interest to travellers, send me a note. Karuah River Rally, 10-11 February 2001, NSW, Australia,Adventure Tourers Rally, contact Greg Aldis for more info. (see below also) To be held on the Frying Pan Creek campsite in the Chichester State Forest, near Dungog, 300km north of Sydney. It will be sign posted from Friday afternoon. No Cars are allowed on the site unless prearranged (parking for cars is available on the Coachwood campsite across the creek). Basic catering (Sausage sandwiches and soft drinks) from Saturday afternoon. Everything else BYO (Dungog has the nearest supplies) Awards for longest distance, hard luck etc. awarded early Sunday morning. $12 pre entered, $15 late. Leeches are free of charge. Entries to: PO Box 53 Rydalmere BC, 1701, NSW. Cold Flame Rally, Australia, 10-11th March 2001This rally is in a stunningly scenic area of the Snowy Mountains. At the junction of the Snowy and Pinch rivers on the Barry Way (the Barry Way runs from Buchan in Vic to Jindabyne in NSW) 65 km south of Jindabyne and 15 km North of the Victorian border. BYO everything (water available from the river, firewood can be collected around the site) Greg Aldis (Australian events website page) Sydney Australia Tel. +61 (0)2 9311-1119(H) Tesch 23rd Meeting for World Travellers, April 6 to 8, 2001, Malmedy, BelgiumApprox. 300 travellers meet for slide shows, conversation, bonfire etc. Contact Bernd if you want to go. Deadhorse, Alaska, July 12, 2001"... Let's make Deadhorse (Northern end of the road) like the annual Ushuaia (Southern end of the road) Christmas gathering. If you are going to Deadhorse in 2001, co-ordinate it (on the Bulletin Board) with other like minded folks with common interests in the land of the Midnight Sun. I'll be there with my Yorkie 'Punky' on a Kawasaki KLR650." Lew Waterman, USA, North and South America 2001-2 There are at least a half dozen riders already committed to being there - how about you?!
GET YOUR WEB SITE LISTED in the LINKS section by listing Horizons Unlimited on YOUR web site, let me know you've done it by mailing me a link to the page, and you may get listed here in the next newsletter and on the Horizons Unlimited web site Links page. All sites will be considered for listing, but must be a MOTORCYCLE or TRAVEL site, useful or of interest in some way to travellers. Links will be rotated regularly as needed. South America 1999 with a sidecar and a dog... German only Microfiches for many models, including R100GS and others of interest to travellers. European tours with Triumph... in German only Theo & Christel's BSA Adventures around the world website has moved. Chris Scott's Adventure Motorbiking website
There are many "Helpful People" listed on the Links page, a huge thanks to all of them. How about you? Or just join a Community, or start your own! GermanyMarkus has offered help in Munich to travellers. "Happy to help travellers in any way needed, I can offer coffee and chat, tools and a small workshop, and translations. Telephone: (49) -89-94500522"
Do you know of a good shop "on the road,"in other words somewhere there isn't a number of shops? USA, Canada, Europe etc. don't count. That's too easy. And too many! We're looking for those rare items, good repair shops in South America, Africa and Asia etc. I will create a web page for them eventually. Ecuador, from Jens GausmannHonda in Quito is on 12 de Octubre / Madrid, it's one of a few Honda places in this town. I went to a small place which I was very satisfied with: Motoservicios 'Bolivar', Juan Leon Mera, 546 Entre Roca y Carrion, tel. 502454.
BMW Steering headbearings are tricky to get right. Details, and information on the special BMW tool needed is available here
I've made contact with some of the people we were looking for last month, thanks! - but the following are unaccounted for... Matt and Ed from Colorado, USA, (on XR400 and XR600) last seen in Quito Dec. 2000 Keown (sp?). Keown is on a Honda Africa twin (from South Africa). Daniel, USA on a KLR650 travelling the world. Claire and Mark from England riding two XT600's... Lionel Marx, I have no e-mail for him... Chris van de Goorberg, Netherlands, XT600, last seen in Mali... Kiwi Brian and Japanese Junko, both seen in Chitral Johan ? traveller from Netherlands, last seen in Rio de Janeiro. When you meet travellersout there, please get contact info and let me know so I can add them to my who's who and where list! Grant E-mail address Problems:Sometimes there is a problem with an e-mail address - it's not that I'm deliberately ignoring you! I have been unable to reply to the following, as the address they gave me bounce. If anyone knows them please let them know the problem: Kamran Esmaeili, in Germany, has tried several times to subscribe, but his e-mail address is no good, it keeps bouncing back to me. Jürgen Hoffmann, and anyone else @slpol.de, I am unable to get anything through to slpol.de addresses. Please supply another e-mail address. Rory Corneille, bounced on subscribe. Thanks!
Ken and Carol Duval, Australia, around the world, in Nepal,"... We are trying to get our visas extended by 15 days in India. We have just come from the Jaipur Foreigners Registration Office and some official said it was not possible. Have you heard from any other travellers that this is now the case? Any help or info would be appreciated." Frederic, Belgium,is looking to ship his bike from Santiago, Chile, to Australia. So far it's US$1500 to ship the bike by boat, and US$2000 by air. Anyone know of better rates? "...have tips or a magic address?" From a Post on the Bulletin Board Tom Tucker, Canada,"I've sent off a $1000 deposit for a guided tour of NW200 in Ireland, IOM TT, Barcelona GP, and Assen starting around 1st of May this year. I am still trying to get information from Lufthansa or Air Canada re the pallet air shipping of my ST1100. E-mail has not worked well, and I was wondering if you have any contacts at the airlines that I could call and get the information from. The tour operator Dave Milligan of Superbike & GP World Tours out of Australia put me in touch with Mandells out of the states, they quoted US$1980 return for the ST, seems a bit expensive. Thanks again" I answered as best I could with some suggestions. Tom came back with: "Grant this site has it all detailed, the way Mandell's does it. But sounds like Lufthansa is easy to deal with, and very familiar with what needs to be done, I'll be in touch with them directly. Air Canada quoted 1900 bucks Vancouver to London one way!" A great link! Does anyone know of anything else for Transatlantic shipping? I get lots of questions on this subject. Erin & Chris Ratay, USA, Around the World, in Australia,"We'll need to ship our bikes from OZ to NZ at the end of March, then from NZ to Ecuador or Peru in June - can you give us some leads? ... we plan to be in Perth for Xmas 2000, and Ushuaia for Xmas 2001" Anybody know good shippers for either of these routes? E-mail Erwin Thoma, Germany, Around the World,"...If someone has news about Algeria (crossing the Sahara), please inform me" Dieter Zerndt, Switzerland, to South America"...Our bikes are on their way to Buenos Aires. We'll come in January 27, 2001. Do you have an address of one of our local biker-friends? ...We have our bikes in wooden crates. Leaving them in some harbour warehouse for storage might turn out to be a rip-off or a total loss. Any advice? Anyway, I'll send you immediate reports about all details your community should know... Thanx" I can't help at this time, if anyone can or knows anyone please let Dieter and me know. Thanks, Grant Jens Gausmann, Germany"...I might have told you that I want to take my bike and me on a ship from South America to southern Europe in the middle of May. Do you know any agencies you can recommend? if so please contact me. Thanks very much" |
It's winter here in England, pouring rain, and cold, and I've just finished editing the newsletter. And wishing I were somewhere warm, interesting, and on the road. Soon, I keep telling myself, soon. In the meantime, there's lots of great stories from travellers around the world to keep me, and I hope you, entertained and inspired. New on the website this month is the Photo Forum, graciously moderated for us by Roberto Alonso, a Spanish professional photographer and bike nut. He's lusting after an R1150GS, but hasn't quite got there yet. He has managed to persuade Aurora to marry him in April though. (Secrets out Roberto! ;-) Congratulations! The Photo Forum brings me to a request for more help. From you. The Website and Bulletin Board are growing, and hopefully providing an enormous amount of useful information to all of you. I would like to add more forums on the Board, especially for technical subjects, such as a KTM forum, a BMW forum etc, as well as anything else anyone thinks up. However, I simply cannot deal with any more myself. Running the website, the newsletter, bulletin board, huge quantities of e-mail, (currently at 515 items in my inbox to be dealt with in some way, so if you haven't got a reply - I will, I promise) and a ton of planned upgrades to the content and layout of the website has stretched me to the limit. If anyone would care to provide assistance in any of the above areas, I would be most grateful. If you feel you have expertise in an area and would like to moderate a forum, just let me know. It's not hard, when someone posts something you will get an e-mail, and can respond or not as appropriate, so you don't have to keep checking in. I am also in need of technical expertise with Perl scripting, web/graphics design, and form design. All assistance much appreciated. And I especially want to thank all the volunteers that currently help out on the website. We all appreciate your contributions to the motorcycle travellers community. Thanks go to all those who have contributed content in many ways, and especially to Roberto Alonso, Jean-Pierre Poitras, Klaus Mechelke and crew at XT600.de, Jonathan Segel, Gonzalo Figueroa, Gregory Frazier, Bernd Tesch, and of course Susan, for moral and financial support. New section: Trip PlanningWe've had a number of requests to put this sort of information on the website, so we're starting work on it, and we'd really appreciate your feedback, support and any content you can provide. We're working on a form to make it easier to contribute. Coming soon. Real soon now. It's very much in draft stage, but the outline is there, with lots more to come. We're hoping that eventually it will give you everything you need to know to prepare for a trip, whether it's just a few hundred kilometres (or miles!) or around the world. We invite you to submit articles, and hints and tips we can incorporate into this new resource for travellers. Have a look! The only content is - finally - the Border crossing info for some of Central America, but I'm hoping to get more up soon. Your input could help! Is your country in our list?Just for your information, we currently have newsletter subscribers in the following 59 countries: (Austria makes 59! thanks to Josef Figl and a few others we managed to miss on our count) Antarctica (South Pole), Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guatemala, Holland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Scotland, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, and, oh yeah, a Brit in a nuclear submarine somewhere under the ocean, so don't know where that counts! If your country isn't listed it's because we can't tell from your e-mail address, so please let us know. Last month I asked: Wanna be famous? Rider/TV Host wanted.And half a dozen of you answered! Peter replied, "Thanks, Grant. I've received about a half dozen replies to my ad from all over the globe. Testament to your excellent site's great reach. Peter McLennan, Canada" So who's it going to be? We'll have to wait and see. Please feel free to submit news reports, web links etc. to me for inclusion here.I try to link to your website if you have one, and also the photos in this e-zine are generally linked from your website. If you don't want me to do that please say so! This is a free service to travellers everywhere, both on the road and off. Your support is appreciated!
Gregory Frazier, USA, around the world for the third time, now in Nepal, on an Enfield this week,"...My Enfield 500 Bullet motorcycle has flawlessly carried me to the foot of the Himalaya Mountain Range in Nepal. Although a new 500 cc single cylinder model is nearly the same as it was 40 years ago, pumping out 22 horsepower and 6.5 to 1 compression, it's 3.8 gallon gas tank carries enough gas at 70 miles per gallon to easily chug 120 miles before refuelling. The best high speed chugging is 40 miles per hour. So far it has no oil leaks. Each morning I must spend a little time with my wrenches tightening things up, an exercise which always draws a crowd of silent onlookers. With no electric starter, getting it fired up on a cold day takes two or three healthy kicks. A motto in the company promotional material says "It Takes A Man To Ride," not mentioning starting. I have seen one woman traveling on a Bullet, but with a boyfriend on a Guzzi. On a cold morning he may be her kicker. In India I met an Italian guy traveling on a 1998 BMW K100 LT. We connected again in Kathmandu where he was licking his wounds after suffering a major setback in his plan to ride into China from Nepal. After riding to the border (and twice flopping the huge BMW in the mud and gravel) he was told "No way!" by Chinese border officials. Although he had a visa, they would not allow him to enter with his motorcycle. The offer of some large American dollars stuck in the folds of his passport also got a "No way" reception. Rather than flipping and flopping back down the slippery stretch of road, the traveler arranged for a truck to haul his bike back to the pavement and returned to Kathmandu to rethink his route across Asia and into China. He next plans on trying to enter China from Vietnam but I suspect he will be turned away there also. Unless you have mega bucks, an approved government guide and a lot of time to get your paperwork in order, China is still tough to crack for the budget motorcyclist wanting to go solo. The less adventuresome are signing up for one of several organized motorcycle tours which are offering canned rides which cut through the challenge of going solo, but these still run better than US$5,000.00 to say you rode a motorcycle in China. My Italian acquaintance, although wounded, still plans to attack the Great Wall with vigour and far less money. I hope to get his postcard from Peking... Kathmandu is a major stopping point for motorcycle travelers crossing Asia overland. It is also a major stopover for mountain climbers, tourist Buddha's, dope smokers and old hippies. Freak Street reflects the early 1970's when hash was legal. It was here longhairs collected, stoned to the gills, to groove on Jimi, Dylan, the Beatles and the Stones. Today you can still hear Country Joe and The Fish sing "One, two, three, what are we fighting for..." wafting from shabby street bars... Left safety and traveller friends in Kathmandu for Sikkim. My plan was to do a little off-road riding, get lost, and wander into Tibet. No chance. There were a lot of "gun guys" on both sides of the border who did not appreciate my planning. It might be possible, but I would suggest a light dirt bike and a bulletproof jacket to someone wanting to try this method. Anyone dreaming of going to India, buying a good used Enfield and riding around for some time should check what they are eating or drinking before they go to sleep. Every person I have met who has bought a used Enfield has not been living their dreams but rather their nightmares. It seems the defination of a mechanic in India and Nepal is anyone with a hammer. The money saved by purchasing a used bike (which often means "well used") is not saved in repairs and time wasted with breakdowns. I purchased a new bike for 65,000 Rupees and at least was able to break it in properly. It went through some teething problems but those were not fixed with a knock-o-meter. The money spead between purchasing a new bike and making repairs to a used one is close to zero. I would also recommend a 500 cc Bullet over the 350. The extra 150 ccs are useful when chugging up hills or past trucks, especially if carrying a load or a fat woman on the back. To see what my Enfield thought of Asian Feet, Sikkim and trying to sneak into Tibet go to www.horizonsunlimited.com/gregfrazier and look under "What's New." A couple of pictures are there also. Next, I am off hunting roads in Bangladesh. I have no Carnet de Passage for entry, so will see how far I get. A zillion people in a shoe box, that is what I am told Bangladesh is, a flat shoebox." Connor Carson, UK, near Jaisalmer, Pakistan,"...The following day dawned bright and fresh, and we discovered that sleeping under the sky seems to efficiently negate the effects of a hangover. This was just as well, as the roads leading south to rejoin the main highway were periodically subject to huge drifts of sand from the desert, which piled up often a foot or two deep, for several hundred yards. I hate sand. This sort of stuff is no problem in a 4-wheel drive, but on a heavily laden 2-wheeler can cause problems. Unless you hit these hazards just right, the vehicle starts to weave alarmingly from side to side as your speed drops, and you end up either dropping the whole bloody lot into the (mercifully soft) sand, or hopelessly mired in the stuff, up to your hubs. Trying to extricate a bike from this sort of predicament is hot sweaty work and you can quite easily burn your clutch to a frazzle if you try to ride the bike out without help. The main rule seems to be to keep going forward at all costs. So we did, and learned a bit about sand riding in the process - though I still hate the stuff and will do anything to avoid it. I made a solemn promise to my poor abused motorcycle not to go off road again on this trip. This was a somewhat optimistic promise, as events were to prove very shortly... After a night in a guesthouse, we set off to travel over the Rann of Katch, which barred our path to the south. The Rann is a huge flat salty plain, which is connected to the ocean in the West, but doesn't actually contain any water - except during monsoon, when it is largely occupied (according to the guide) by mud and wading birds. There are two subdivisions of the Rann, and we intended to cross the smaller of the two, an area about 50 kilometres diameter. Although there was a perfectly serviceable main asphalt road, Olli wanted to cross by a route which was marked on our map as a jeep trail. Now, in view of my recent experiences in Northern Pakistan, I tend to receive premonitions of imminent doom when someone mentions jeep trails, but I threw caution to the winds, or indeed down the lavatory, and agreed. This is symptomatic of the division of labour in our expedition group. Olli is in charge of navigation, insane ideas, public relations and opening beer bottles. I take care of tea-making, dishwashing, falling off, worrying about the bikes, and saying "bloody hell" a lot. So we headed towards the Rann, with the by now familiar crowds of bystanders gesticulating frantically, and hopping up and down: "Go back, go back....!" I was not in the least surprised when the jeep trail degenerated into deep rutted sand (sand! goody!) and then disappeared entirely. But then we emerged from the scrubby bushes and entered the salt lake itself. Seeing these things on television does not prepare you for the reality of biking across the middle of a blinding white emptiness, with the sun beating down on the hard dusty salt-encrusted surface and a trail of dust billowing from your back wheel. We were travelling now by compass bearing, due to the lack of any visible landmarks whatsoever - just a flat blue-white horizon, and in the distance I could see Olli, a tiny shiny bike pelting along at the base of a huge plume of dust. After a time, the horizon sprouted a small raised island with a few thorn trees, which was marked on our map as the approximate centre of the lake. An excellent place to stop and camp. The sun went down in splendour over the flat empty plains and we felt privileged to be the only two people there to see it. The following morning we continued south towards the villages on the distant side of the Rann. Subtly at first, and then with more force, I felt the bike starting to labour and inexorably lose forward momentum. I shifted down a cog and continued, but the drag worsened. Nightmare scenarios of mechanical failure ran through my mind, but glancing over at Olli I could see that he too was in difficulty. Then I looked down, and knew with certainty that we were sinking. The surface here was not as solid as the previous day, and we were making heavy weather through what was rapidly becoming soft salt-topped mud. Oh dear, I thought, or words to that effect.
Overheating and sinking in the salt lake Remembering my sand schooling of the previous day, I tried to keep going in a forward direction for as long as possible, in the hope of finding firmer ground. Instead, the surface seemed to worsen. The engine began to rev higher, though I was patently slowing down, and in confusion I glanced behind to see that I was creating a picturesque ten-foot fountain of mud as my wheel spun in the gluey surface. Still, we were moving forward, albeit at a reduced rate. I glanced at Olli, who was similarly using the rear wheel of his Transalp as a sort of 600cc muckspreader. Farmer Olli churned over towards me with a huge grin on his face, apparently oblivious to the huge strains we were placing on the motors of our machines. This unshakeable confidence in the capabilities of his bike is one of Olli's trademarks, and one which I cannot emulate, so I do the worrying for both of us. We continued, to the smell of burning engine oil. Smoke started to come out of Olli's engine-oil dipstick hole, so we stopped for a bit to let things cool down, and eat biscuits. (This tends to be our initial response to any crisis). On closer inspection the rear wheels of both bikes were now completely without tyre-profile, just smooth mud. It was like trying to ride round on an 18-inch doughnut. Each bike had also collected about 10kg of glutinous mud. Olli was cheerful and confident. I said, "Bloody hell." We continued.
As it happened, we were past the worst, and were convinced that the game was over when we reached a group of salt "miners" who were working within sight of "land" on the far side of the Rann. The process of extracting salt from a salt lake in the dry season involves digging a deep hole, from which water is pumped out into a shallow square lagoon, 50 metres on a side, about a foot deep, bounded by low earth walls. The salty water then evaporates slowly, leaving the salt, which is harvested. I know all these fascinating details because I had the opportunity to inspect the arrangements very closely, mainly because the miners directed us straight through the middle of the lagoon complex. I think the best way to tell whether the salt is ready to be harvested or not, is to send some dipstick biker straight through the middle. If they don't come out the other side, you know to leave it a few more days... So it was two very muddy and knackered bikers who finally made it, gasping, to the first chai stall on the other side. Olli got irretrievably stuck at one point, and I had to push him out - this was when I learned that the best way to get covered from head to toe in mud is to push a wheel-spinning Transalp through an Indian salt lagoon for 50 yards or so. You are invited to test the hypothesis for yourself. Bring your own Transalp.... I travelled the remaining distance to the night's guesthouse with the salty crud rapidly drying on the front of my leather jacket and trousers. By the time I arrived, I appeared to have some sort of advanced industrial disease - yeah, salt miners crotch, a nasty case.... So at length 2 dusty and weary bikers arrived in Diu, for a well earned New Year break in a tropical paradise on the Arabian Sea - my definition of paradise being a warm sunny place where beer is 30 rupees a bottle, half the price in the rest of India. And bless me father, for I have sinned mightily, in that I did verily go to the beach on my bike on numerous occasions, and yea didst drive most recklessly through sand and salt and all manner of crud, and thereby didst have a right good time but didst shorten the life of my holy chain and sacred sprockets by 1000 kays or so. I am a sinner and will surely go to hell, amen. After this debauchery, I headed East, still in the company of Olli, and additional members of the party in the form of Mike, an Aussie on a rented Enfield, and Carmen, riding pillion with Olli and expanding his luggage to the point where space and time in the region of his back box were starting to show signs of strain. The next few days passed at a leisurely pace, and I learned a lot about Enfield mechanics. I am currently possessed by an illogical and masochistic desire to own one of these things, enraptured as I am by the agricultural nature of the engineering, and the ability to access all necessary spare parts for a full engine rebuild at the local back-of-beyond corner store. But I guess such advantages evaporate if you take one of these bikes out of India... so stick with your trusty Tenere, you disloyal sod. To quote Desiderata 'With all its knackered suspension, dodgy 5th gear and elderly camchain, it is still a beautiful motorcycle. Be careful. Strive to drink more chai....' But all things come to an end, not least of which my visa for India. With the expiry date fast approaching, I had to hotfoot it alone from the pilgrim town of Omkareshwar north-east towards Nepal. I remember very little of this hectic flight, except that the take-home message is that being in a hurry on Indian roads can be hazardous to your health. I guess most of you knew that already, but some of life's little lessons we have to learn for ourselves.... So here I am in Kathmandu - having arrived after dark (breaking my golden rule of not travelling at night) and with my headlamps failing (breaking my basic common sense rule of not travelling when its DARK and you can't bloody well SEE ANYTHING YOU IDIOT). I plan to rest up, fix my electrics, straighten both my buckled wheels (again), eat some biscuits, and generally enjoy myself in like fashion for a week or so. The good times are here again - More soon - Connor. Andrea Mueller and Bernie Zoebeli, Switzerland, South / North America, in Guatemala to Mexico, R80G/S"... in Guatemala we visited Lake Atitlan, a nice lake in a beautiful landscape with three volcanoes that are reflected in the lake. After Christmas we went on to Tikal. This is a very nice and interesting Maya ruin; worth a visit. New Year's Eve we wanted to be in Belize, so we entered this country, but at the frontier we got angry. The insurance for motorbikes you have to buy cost US$50, only available for three month! (Besides, we had to buy a visa in Switzerland for this country, which cost about US$30) In the first town we found a nice camp but when we wanted to make a phone call to Switzerland, we found out that it is complicated and costs a lot. We went on to the coast and got to know that the entrances for the parks are very expensive too. They have prices that are higher than in Switzerland! Also for accommodation. Nevertheless, Belize City we wanted to see. But how disappointing! The great swingbridge is just a small steel bridge, nothing special. To walk around in the night is quite dangerous, so we decided to leave Belize and pass New Year's eve in Mexico. On the way up we visited Altun Ha, a nice Maya ruin. At the frontier we had new troubles. You have to pay each US$10 and US$4 to save nature. The insurance company which should pay us some money back because we didn't stay so long (like they told at the other frontier) was closed! So we stayed three days in Chetumal, Mexico, and went back to the frontier today. Finally we have our money and a 90 day stamp in Bernhard's passport and for the vehicle. Andrea has to go to immigration somewhere after 30 days... Chetumal is a nice town and we spent New Year's eve with a family from here and now know how they celebrate this night here. We enjoyed it a lot!" Manou Emringer and Ellen Spencer, Luxembourg and USA, around the world, in Bolivia and Chile, Africa Twin and Transalp,Best wishes from the bottom end of the World. The bikerparty didn't work out too well for us, as we were running a bit late, (see excerpt from trip report hereafter), but Antarctica was spectacular. As far as the bikers went, there was at least 4 people from Germany, Erwin Thoma, Challis and a couple (Markus and ?), Steve and Lisa from Australia, Moe from the US, and us two laggards. Other people in town but not seen at the party included 3 Ecuadorians and two Brazilians, names unknown. Sorry, no group picture available since there was quite some commotion on the 1st because of several stolen items. Pity. Maybe someone else managed to get a few pics. In Puerto Natales, the weather continued to be so miserable as to make a visit to Torres del Paine pointless... the weather was worsening, so we decided to head straight for Ushuaia, where we arrived on December 20th. We had a day to arrange parking for the bikes with the help of Pepe, the amazingly friendly owner of Hostal Alakaluf (Tel 54-02901-436705, ), wash our clothes (including the jackets!) and get some supplies for the trip to Antarctica. ... we boarded our ship, the Lyubov Orlova, and headed for the Drake Passage, where some traditionally rough seas awaited our coming, effectively incapacitating about 60% of the passengers aboard. The six of us did reasonably well though, spending the two days in the Passage reading, attending lectures, and celebrating as much as the rolling of the ship would allow us.
Antarctica, penguins on an iceberg, by Susan Johnson, 1998 ... we finally set foot on Antarctica, at Neko Harbor on the Antarctic Peninsula. Penguins, seals, whales, birds, and ice, ice in different forms and shapes, glaciers, icebergs, ice everywhere, an always repeating yet always different sight. Absolutely spectacular. We landed in six different spots altogether during the time effectively spent in Antarctica, including places like Deception Island, a flooded volcano, and Port Lockroy, a former British research station... (back) in Ushuaia for Xmas and New Years, and we were looking forward to meeting some other bikers... ...we met Moe, a 67 year old gentleman from Texas who had ridden down from Quito, and... we went hunting for more bikers. We eventually found them at a campground in Lapataia, where the New Years party was to be held. Unfortunately, our planning on the evening of the party didn't quite work out, as we ended up having a wonderful but rather lengthy dinner in town and only arrived at the campground when the party was going towards its end. ... there was a group of Argentines still going strong, so we celebrated with them eating, drinking, and laughing until the early hours, having a lot of fun until the moment one of them stole my video camera and ran off. Other people on the campground, including the bikers, were missing some equipment as well, so the first day of the New Millennium started with a search of the premises and a talk with the police. Not exactly what we had in mind. Although some of the missing objects were found hidden away in the surrounding bushes, the video camera was not among them which also meant the loss of the footage from Antarctica, along with quite a bit of disillusion about those people we had been celebrating with. I don't consider myself especially naïve, but the situation was a lot more unpleasant than having it stolen anonymously off the bike or from the hotel room. This was however the only ugly thing about Ushuaia, the town being very nice and the Argentines being every bit as friendly as I remembered them from my first trip. Even our robbers were essentially very pleasant people! Still, may the scoundrels be affected with acid stomachs and festering boils in their private places. Other than that, we're about to head north again, to Buenos Aires, where we will spend a few days, concluding the first leg of the trip with almost 30.000 km in five months. Our favorite air carrier, CARGOLUX, has agreed to fly us and the bikes to our next destination, Accra, the capital of Ghana. This includes a short stopover in Luxembourg in order to replenish some supplies, have our sorely tested bikes looked after and do some righteous bragging in the company of family and friends. Feliz Ano Nuevo, Ellen & Manou" Ken and Carol Duval, Australia, around the world, in Nepal, R80G/S,"... A party of four bikes left Islamabad Campground for Lahore, Connor (XT600), Angela (Dominator), Oliver (Transalp). We enjoyed walking the bazaars, the old fort and riding backwards in the Tuk Tuks as the traffic aimed at our toes!
Group at Durbar Square, Kathmandu. L to R - K & C BMW, Rosie 350 Enfield, Angela Dominator, Mike Moto-Guzzi. Had a laugh when a Christian Movement paraded past our hotel in peak hour traffic. It was Ramadan in Pakistan! They created a huge traffic jam. We stayed at the Menora Hotel across the road from the Lahore Hotel. Safe parking was found at the Lahore Hotel for 10Rs a day, absolute bargain.
Carol in her flash Chador, and Ken, in Bam, Kerman Province, Iran (pic from last month, everyone wanted to see it!) Crossing the border into India saw the officials mess up our Carnet by taking a page three past the next one to be used. I like to watch this procedure after experiences in Africa but was instructed to sit down by the official. German friends travelling in a Unimog had two pages removed for the one vehicle. Beware the crossing at Wagah/Attari Road. Amritsar will always be remembered for the Golden Temple. We have not seen the Taj Mahal yet but it will need to be good to beat this. The people there, the workers, the hostel attached to the temple - a must for every traveller. Our party broke up on departure with Oliver heading south to the deserts of Rajasthan. Today was our first real taste of the Indian traffic, preparing us for the onslaught to come. Our party dwindled again as a quick repair of the puncture saw Angela head north to Nepal. Connor and ourselves headed to Delhi to organize our tickets/transport to Bangkok. We achieved much in Delhi with few hassles. Our transport and flights were organized. Connor replaced an ailing battery, Carol got sick so rested in bed while the boys played with the Tuk Tuks. Departing Delhi on Sunday was a breeze. Connor headed south to join Oliver and we rode to Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal. We thought the US$20 or Aud$40 per person too expensive. They will not get our money at those prices. The Taj prices are out of our reach and now there are no "free Fridays". It is now closed on Fridays and open on Mondays. We have heard there will be a price decrease some time in February. Left Agra taking minor roads towards Bareilly. The route had far less traffic but the road condition was very poor - potholes, rough surface, livestock and bicycle riders not prepared for a motorcycle as large as ours. Next day we crossed into Nepal at Banbasa on the western border. The road to this point was rough but crossing Nepal things improved dramatically, and the sign said "Roads built in co-operation by Nepalese and Indian Governments"! The traffic problems all but disappeared and the night was spent in Kohalpur at a very basic Guest House. We enjoyed traditional Nepalese food of Dhal Baht. We made Butwal by lunch the next day and enquired about the road to Pokhara. They said good road, 5 hrs? But they did not mean the one we were going to take. We headed north and enjoyed 30 kms of reasonable road but it all went bad from there. Could not complete the 155kms before dark and we stayed in a little village (Galyan) that fogged in overnight. Leaving early we made Pokhara by 11am. Great views of the Annapurna Range coming into town. Pokhara is very touristy but are suffering due to political unrest. The village was almost deserted at dusk. Break number two on the shock spring was discovered here and so another welding job was done before heading off to Kathmandu. Enroute to KTM a head-on crash (bus/truck) slowed our progress. These sightings would become common on this part of our journey (Asia). Our aim is not to become part of one. At KTM we met up with Benka Pulko again, another world traveller (F650). We last met in Florida USA in November 1997. Some kms have been ridden between the two of us since that time. KTM was fun, enjoying great food, sharing stories with other motorcycling overlanders, backpackers and bicycle riders. We had a great Christmas and New Year - See Dr. Gregory Frazier's story in January's E-zine of www.HorizonsUnlimited.com. We played with the rickshaw drivers and riders, tiger balm salesman, the shshsh hashish sellers and best of all the T-shirt embroiders. Some of our crowd spent many dollars/D.marks on these tempting items. We bought four T-shirts, some bought ten times this! They are very good though. More shock woes as the seal failed and we lost oil and gas. We salvaged it again with a new seal and oil from Germany brought in by special delivery. (Thanks Angela and Co) Leaving KTM was hard but the roads were waiting and our Indian visa was loosing time. We made Varanasi in two days with only one Indian truck driver attempting to run us off the road. We camped at the Surya Hotel in their lovely garden. It was so peaceful to escape the pressures of this vital city on the Ganges. More shock woes as break no. 3 occurs. There cannot be any "bounce" left in this piece of steel. The search for a replacement starts. A helpful Honda dealer Ravi, swings into action... Seven days later a spring is produced, not quite the right size but it will get us out of trouble. Contacted home about a warranty claim but 200,000kms is too much. I don't know why! In addition to this problem, a knock which I thought was steering head bearings turned out to be a broken frame, the large support (backbone) in the middle of the bike with the electrical items attached.
K & C at one of the Stupas in Kathmandu. Another welding job and her broken back is fixed. The bike has reached 20yrs and has thrown in the towel, maybe! There is no pension, until it reaches OZ. Mike and Rosie arrive in Varanasi after 4 1/2 days ride from KTM. The Guzzi is going fine but the Enfield... is a real problem. I will leave to Mike to tell his story. Varanasi will be remembered for the special help from Ravi and the cycle rickshaw riders who, after agreeing to a negotiated price, demand more on arrival. It was a bad day to leave Varanasi. We ride towards Allahabad and the Kumbh Mela on its biggest day. The traffic was insane. Two lanes turned into six as everything grinds to a standstill. We averaged 25kms per hour and were exhausted when we reached Fatehpur. Only one near miss as three vehicles head towards us on a two lane road. We split the two outside vehicles! Crazy stuff. Reaching Agra was not easy. We watched a local motorcyclist overtake us on a Honda 100cc and ride straight into a pig crossing the road. This was a BIG pig and we cannot believe he did not see it. They are not on this planet when they drive/ride here. He survived, the pig squealed and ran off. Another phenomena is the desire for people to overtake us at all cost, endangering all involved and then slow to an almost crawl and then, request us to overtake them again. We are a novelty but their driving is absolutely crazy. Their ears are their eyes. They do not react to anything on the road unless they are tooted. A loud different horn is a must. We have a small siren purchased in Bulgaria. Combined with the normal horn it creates a disturbing sound. It works! It is interesting to note that in almost 200,000kms of world travelling in the last 4 years we have seen more vehicle accidents in the few weeks in India than in all the other countries combined. The earthquake in Ahmadabad 26/1/01 was felt here in Agra as we ate breakfast. What a strange feeling. We will head to the deserts, forts and palaces of Rajasthan and maybe trade our bike for a camel for a day or two. Safe riding to all. Will update when we can." Love Carol & Ken.
Ricardo Rocco Paz, Ecuador, "Around the World for Peace," in Peru, Honda NX 650 Dominator,"I just can't stay put. I'm on the way to Cuzco (and Ushuaia?). Just took a few days off to ride to Macchu Picchu, a place I couldn't visit during my South America expedition. I'm riding with Ed (XR600) and Matt (XR400), a couple of great motorcyclists from Colorado, and a pair of excellent human beings. The plan was to ride with them to Cajamarca. Then I said: being so close to Cuzco would be a shame not to go, right? Would I say the same thing about Ushuaia when I'm in Cuzco? We'll see. We've been riding all kinds of dirt roads from Quito to Cajamarca in northern Peru, which is awesome considering, the heavy load this two guys are carrying on their XR's and that I'm riding my Honda NX 650 Dominator, which is supposed to be more of a street bike that anything else. This is great training for my brand new plans to ride the Paris - Dakar rally at the end of this year during the African stage of the Around the World for Peace expedition. We rode to the remote northern part of the Peruvian Andes, where we visited the amazing pre-Inca ruins of Kuelap, the center of the archaeologically rich Chachapoyas region. We are in Cajamarca now, where we've visited the pre-Inca ruins of Cumbe Mayo and the Baños del Inca, plus the colonial museums and the famous Atahualpa ransom room. We are heading south on Tuesday, after we work on the bikes that have sustained a heavy amount of abuse on these tough roads. My bike has performed incredibly. The same thing goes to the new set of Pirelli MT60's I got for this trip, they are supposed to be 90% pavement and 10% dirt, but they've handled every kind of terrain imaginable with great performance (and they are not my sponsors, yet). I'm traveling very light this time, my luggage consists of a small backpack with few clothes, my tool pack and my inseparable Aerostich Darien suit, that has become my home away from home. I hope we can meet some of the many riders that have pass through Quito lately going south... Ricardo Rocco Paz" Bente Bråthen and Dag Jenssen, (Rocinantes' Travels) Norway, North and South America, in Peru, Triumph Tiger,Ecuador... "...The road to Cuenca was okay, but we had to keep our eyes wide open because of all the rocks in the road, washed down from the hillsides during the rainy season, which was now. There seemed to be no hurry in removing them and making the road safer, but to our luck most rock slides were old and ploughed trough by buses and trucks, opening up the path for us. After a very quick stop in the colonial beauty of Cuenca, we drove on. Now the road turned worse and worse. This was a surprise to us who had been told time and again that this section of the Pan American Highway had been fixed and paved during the last year. We climbed up to 3500 meters where we could only see the remnants of the pavement. We were riding on pure gravel and had entered the clouds.
At 3500 meters on our way to Loja, before fog and rain combined with a lousy road made the trip more interesting. Soon the visibility was so low we had serious problems seeing were the road led. In addition my by now totally fogged visor wouldn't stay up anymore, which meant I had to raise the whole chin section on my helmet to be able to see anything, leaving my face soaked and cold and my eyes sore from the rain. From time to time a bus came towards us, prompting me to steer Rocinante as far out of harms way as possible. It had gotten very cold and wet, and it took forever to get out of the mountains and start the descend towards Loja. When we finally did, we felt the heat coming back into our bones, and cheered the clear skies that welcomed us. We stayed three nights in Loja, a town according to the South American Handbook and itself, the musical capital of Ecuador. When we went in search for live music that night, we were amazed at how little there was. A street concert celebrating a classical maestro was nice, but in the bars they said; 'Yes we have live music. No we don't have a band.' ...Peru was waiting for us just around the corner, and on Monday 14th of January we drove the remaining part of Ecuador to Macará on the border. ...When we crossed over to the Peruvian side, we were, for the first time so far, asked for the Carnet de Passage. I simply shrugged and said we didn't have it, which was satisfactory to the officer. After about an hour and a half at the border and without paying anything, we left with two months permit for both us and Rocinante. We felt refreshed and had more or less left the accident behind us. Bienvenidos a Peru."
Robert and Steve Raucher, South Africa, around the world, in India, BMW R1150GS's,"(From Bombay) ...National Highway 17 is the road to Goa. It is surprisingly empty and reassuringly crooked. Something that no one will tell you is that the entire route, once you are out of Bombay is mountain passes. People are so proud of the fact that it is a highway, they just neglect to mention the mountains. Beautiful mountain roads are fine if you aren't in a hurry to finish your trip in daylight, but we were trying to make the beach on time. ... we spent 6 hours riding and 2 hours eating lunch. Apparently the drive from Bombay to Goa is normally ten to twelve hours, so in our hurry to find the beach we have established a local record (sorry Mom). After navigating our way through the rural rice fields of northern Goa (not too mention our first river ferry crossing) we made it to Anjuna Beach, Goa. Anjuna is the stereotypical Rave-scene, trance music, party all night resort town that one either loves or loathes. We enjoy a good party but don't like to sleep when one is happening next door, so the next day we went exploring Northern Goa to find quieter pastures. Morjim Beach is, in short, idyllic. A vast beach (about 2kms wide), an average of ten tourists on the beach, and also boasts Turtle nests (which, by the way, hatch at every full moon).
Technical difficulties communicating = fancy wiring jobs We knew we had found the right place but it was seriously lacking in accommodation. No Problem! - Francis and Lulu, the proprietors of the most beautiful beach side restaurant in Goa (more to come on this wonderful institution, insisted that we camp in the front garden of their beach house... ... eating and drinking all the wonderful fare at the Olive Ridley (ph +91 832 246 732). The restaurant is expertly run by Francis, Lulu and Gilbert (the manager, a local Goan, who occasionally sails on the Rainbow Warrior and ALWAYS plays Bob Marley! ... Gilbert, being the most connected guy in Goa can also get you anything from a rented scooter to a beachside bungalow, to local painters and carpenters (who we later commissioned to paint our panniers and build Robert's custom-made backgammon board, of course!) ...we have learnt a new word: 'Shanti', it means peaceful, slowly, 'do it tomorrow'..., if you know what I mean?" Chris Addison, Australia, SE Asia, Europe, Africa, KTM, 'a Turkish incident with a sheep'"...In Tatvan, I asked at the tourist board about the border crossing I planned to use. He said no problems, but when I got there, it was closed, and manned by the army. The guards made it clear that I couldn't pass through, but when I tried to leave, they told me I had to stay. I was wondering what was going on, but after about 10 minutes, the commander came out, just to say hello, and saw me on my way after getting me to chant along with him about his favourite soccer team... I was not very happy because it was dusk, and I hate riding at night... I was headed back for Van, to stay there the night. It was only 100km, but I pulled into a small town, and asked if there were any hotels or camping. No.
Between Tatvan and Van, far eastern Turkey. I was not the only one with the impression that this border crossing was open. A German biker had tried it the day before I was told. It was a good two lane road, so I pressed on at a steady pace of 85-95km/h, then an oncoming truck had his four headlights on high beam, presumably because he thought I was on high beam. (I can't adjust my headlights down low enough because of all the weight on the back, I am always getting 'flashed' by oncoming cars, another reason why I don't like to travel at night). I flashed him a few times to show that I was on low beam, but he just left his on high. As soon as he passed, still a little blinded by the lights, I was heading for the middle of a herd of 100 or so sheep, all running flat out towards me. I was only metres away, but I managed to do a counter-steering lane change around the herd, but one sheep was running for me, and I was braking, and turning, trying to evade him, and I thought I had made it, but I forgot about the panniers. My right pannier got him, and it kicked the back of the bike up in the air by maybe half a meter, and sideways. When it came down crossed up, it spat me off in my second highside in two months. I would say there was about one second between me seeing the sheep, and coming off. My record had better improve, or I won't survive this trip! I was sliding down the road, in disbelief, and at one stage I was on my back. I was thinking at the time that this is great. I've only just got my camera, and it is in my backpack getting crushed right now. As soon as I stopped, I ran over to the bike, which was off the road down a small embankment. I picked it up, and put it on the stand. It was a very dark night, no moon, and I couldn't see a thing. I could tell that the bars were bent, but that is all I could tell. I fished my torch out of the tank bag, and started looking around. The panniers were both virtually destroyed (the right from the sheep, and the left from the road), and the top box was gone... I found the top box about 50m away, and put it back on, but some of the mounts were damaged. As well, the low beam bulb blew from the impact of the crash. The camera actually survived, probably because I had it between two 1.5 Litre water bottles. It was about then that the Kurds that owned the sheep turned up. This was about 5 minutes later, so they obviously weren't tending to their sheep, and they should not have been on the road at this time of night. The first thing I saw was a rifle muzzle in my face with this guy screaming at me. He snatched the torch from my hand and broke it. Next I was surrounded by about 20 Kurds, all yelling and carrying on. They were angry about the death of the sheep. These are very valuable animals to poor people, but I wasn't about to take responsibility. Here I was lamenting the condition of my bike and my body, and these people want my hide for the death of the sheep. I made hand signs that the truck blinded me, but I'm not sure they understood. I repacked everything, and sat on the bike, but they wouldn't let me go. I thought I was going to have to pay to get out of this, but they all jabbered on for a while, and after about fifteen minutes, they let me go...
Cappadocia, Turkey, spectacular scenery ... I am shipping my bike to Durban, to start my African leg. It should be there by the end of February." Bob Knutson, Michelle Thorson, Gibson Hartwell, USA, Mexico to Central America,"...Mazatlan was great despite the usual digestive challenges experienced here (something happens to our stomachs every time we visit this place!). The suspect source this trip was Jugo de Valle, a juice bar, that did not clean the equipment after each use. ... Gibson contracted hives 20 minutes after having a fresh carrot and beet juice. We made quick recoveries, and departed town next morning. The via libre route took us through the southernmost portion of Mexico's fertile coastal plain... (and) into the mountains towards Tepic. The immediate hills are green and water flows under the bridges... ...The toll road to Guadalajara is $24US, the "via libre" route is unanimously elected. The road rises and falls alongside the valley overlooking the toll road far below... we're loving the 40+ miles of sharp twisties the via libre offers. Rolling into a military checkpoint a wasp is swept into my helmet and greets me with a harsh sting to the left ear. I remain calm to avoid anything that may cause the guard to ask any unnecessary questions. As with every checkpoint encountered so far (approx 12 total so far) we're waved through with no search or questions. A km down the road Michelle carefully pulls a 2cm stinger out, a price paid for wearing an open faced helmet. ...Continuing towards Guadalajara, the hills are planted with blue agave, a plant which thrives in the dry climate of this region that is used in the production of Tequila. The next town is named "Tequila" with a sign posted on the outskirts proudly stating "Located in the valley of the best Tequila in the world". The road leading through is lined with tents selling the locally distilled beverage. Stainless steel tanks are spotted within the distilleries on the east edge of town. Blue agave continues onwards to the next town which boasts "Located in the valley of the VERY best Tequila in the world". ...The road signs indicate directions to Saltillo or Mexico City. The Mexico City route is a long about way to Guanajuato so we head towards the Saltillo route. After an hour of climbing and falling over 30 miles of more twisty curves (Guadalajara is located at 7000ft above sea level and is surrounded by many deep valleys) it's evident this is the wrong highway... The locals give us directions using local country roads to reach the correct autopista. We're now on Mexico's central plateau and the road straightens out, allowing traveling 60mph to make up for lost time. The road rounds off with 20 miles of more twisties - Over 100 miles total today of 20-45mph curves, great riding! ...Guanajuato is only 1 hour away, but traveling Mexico's highway at night can be dangerous as traffic is at times unpredictable and some vehicles are missing headlights and taillights. We'll be in much anticipated Guanajuato the following day after a short ride. We can hardly wait.....
Guanajuato, No parking (photo by Grant Johnson, 1987) A short ride from Lagos de Moreno, through León, and up into the hills leading into Guanajuato, we find ourselves traveling through a maze of arched tunnels under the city. A sign within the tunnel points to "Centro" and we climb up out of the tunnel and find ourselves near the central plaza... Guanajuato (pop 150,000) is a colonial era city built on the wealth of silver mining discovered by the Spanish in the 1500's. This narrow gorge is filled with brightly colored buildings of different shapes and sizes, the narrow streets of cobblestone, many for walking only, are a maze of turns great for simply exploring. Our guide book recommends a local vegetarian restaurant, an hour is spent finding it, but well worth it. We ask the waiter if he knows of anyone renting habitacións - he sends us to the towns "Pipila" monument overlooking the city where a small plateria (silver shop) owner may have a place available... The next night is planned to experience Guanajuato nightlife. We're promised the Mexican tradition of sharing a bottle of Tequila with friends..." Mullie© and Nobilé, Netherlands, Cape Town to Netherlands, in the Sudan, Ural with sidecar,".... Three weeks ago, we entered the Sudan (don't ask me why it's called 'the' Sudan. It just is). The officer from the Ethiopian customs accompanied us across the empty river bed towards the Sudanese customs office. The Sudanese officer in charge was extremely friendly, he apologized for the delay because 'since we have no computers here, we have a lot of paperwork'. After customs was finished, we passed through immigration, and changed our left over Ethiopian birrs at the market into Sudanese dinars. All in all we only lost one hour in Gallabat, not much of a delay at all. From Gallabat we headed towards Gedaref. The road from Gallabat to Gedaref is notorious, especially the first part. We had prepared for the worst but it wasn't that bad at all. Ok, the first 30 to 40 km were very rough, but since it had been dry for the last couple of weeks, it was quite doable. There were many different tracks, most of which were very deep, up to 60 or 70 cm, the leftovers from the big trucks passing here in the wet season. One of those tracks however had been more or less equalized with some sort of bulldozer some time ago, and therefore it was passable for us. ...We had a good time in Khartoum although again the Ramadan hindered us a little. Because the end of the Ramadan was nearing, not only during the day, but also at night most restaurants and a lot of shops were closed. On the other hand, the Ramadan also enabled us to join the sailing club staff for their breakfast after sunset. We did so a couple of times and had some delicious meals. During our stay in Khartoum, it also happened to be Christmas. Being in an Islamic country we didn't expect a lot to happen. However, close to the sailing club was a Catholic cathedral and on Christmas eve, when we sat on the grassy lawn of the club next to the Nile, we could hear the (English) Christmas mess in the background. Next morning, there was a mess in Arabic.
Mullie and Nobile, sidecar in the desert After almost a week in Khartoum, we left towards Atbara. On our way we visited the pyramids at Meroe. To visit historic sites in the Sudan you need to get permission first in Khartoum. These permissions are U$ 10 per person, per site! When we got to the office where to get those permissions, we told them we only wanted to visit 2 sites because of financial reasons. Well, I guess they kind of felt sorry for us and they did not want us to miss anything so in the end, we left the office with permissions to visit about 7 sites, and all for free! Again, it showed us how friendly the Sudanese people are.
...follow the Nile northward and ended up in Wadi Halfa, the northernmost town in the Sudan, three days later. Along the way, we met two bicyclists (one German and one Dutch) who were on their way to Cape Town. We spent the night together with our tents next to a 'restaurant' along the way to Wadi Halfa. The road to Wadi Halfa btw, deteriorates all the way up and is very badly corrugated. Luckily, nothing broke from the vibrations this time but it sure was tiring. From Wadi Halfa you are forced to take a ferry into Egypt (to Aswan), as no overland border crossing is allowed. There is a passenger ferry going once a week, but this ferry cannot take cars. It can take motorcycles though, and we hoped our bike would also fit if we took the sidecar off. The other alternative is a ponton which only sails irregularly, or a cargo ship. By coincidence, the ponton arrived in Wadi Halfa the day we arrived, on a Saturday. It would take off next Monday and allegedly would take 3 to 4 days to get to Aswan. The passenger ferry would leave on Wednesday and would arrive in Aswan on Thursday. After weighing all the plusses and minuses of both alternatives, we decided to go for the ponton and on Monday we boarded the ponton to set sail towards Egypt...
We liked the Sudan very much. As for the landscape, we didn't really like the south, or more accurately, the stretch we did between Gedaref and Khartoum. It is flat, a bit boring, and a lot of rubbish, unfinished buildings, etc. North of Khartoum however, things get more beautiful. The Nile, the desert, the Nubian houses and villages, and the lack of tourists all made the Sudan a magnificent experience. And then there are the people. We haven't met such friendly and hospitable people during our trip. Especially the Nubian people in the north are extreme in this regard (sometimes maybe a bit too extreme up to the point where they stay on the outlook for foreign cars, only to run out and persuade the people to come in for tea, a meal, or a place to sleep)..." Mike Eierle and Rosemarie Falch, Germany, in Nepal, on a 1981 Moto Guzzi G5 cruiser,
"...I read the story from Erwin Thoma. He is an old friend of mine and we went for some motorcycle holidays in the past. Approximately 10 years ago (or more) he moved to Berlin and I lost contact. I only knew that he is doing motorcycle trips and writing for some journals. So it was a nice surprise to read in your homepage from him... Keep on going, guys. I will go on with my report next week. Funny using MGM in your Quiz..."
Moto Guzzi Mike at Kathmandu 36km Post
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We are now an Associate with Amazon, the biggest bookseller on the web. If you want to buy a book, you can go to our Books pages, where we have listed some of the best motorcycle travel books, as well as a number of BMW books, general motorcycle books, and travel guides. Very much in progress, with hundreds more to come, but there is a good list to start with now. There's links to Amazon USA, Amazon UK, and Amazon Deutschland, so no matter where you are - Aussies order from Amazon USA ;-) you can order books at great prices, and I'll make a dollar or a pound, which goes to supporting this e-zine. There are links to search Amazon sites for all their products, books, cds etc., and yes, we get a tiny piece of that too. We really appreciate it when you start your book search from our website! Thanks for the support. Book suggestions please!If you have a book or want a book that you think other travellers would be interested in please let me know and I'll put it on the site. Thanks, Grant
THE CRACKED WATER POT A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house." Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good out there. There is a lot of good in us! Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life! Or as I like to think of it-if it hadn't been for the crackpots in my life, it would have been pretty boring and not so interesting... Thank you all my crackpot friends.
"...thank you for all of your guidance. You and Susan have been a TERRIFIC help.
Thanks so much. Dan and Ryan "Grant, No response needed to this mail. I just wanted to say that this is a FANTASTIC site. I'm just starting to read about your travels. I can see it will take a while to read everything. A couple of friends and I have ridden to Alaska twice, once as far north as the Arctic Circle ... We've also been to Newfoundland twice ... took in Labrador on one of the trips... I have ridden in every state in the continental US except for Michigan and every Canadian Province except the Northwest Territory. Like you, I love to ride. Enough already... I just wanted to complment you on this FANTASTIC Website. Thanks... Take care, be well and ride safe ... David" "I find it a really great and interesting site, and it seems to come in handy now when I'm about to plan my own trip. So, keep up the good work! Kjetil Alvseike" "Thanks again for the wealth of info, a place to network, and your incredible story. Ride safe, Hal Foraker, El Paso, TX, USA" "Grant and Susan, thank you so so much, for these 'GigaBytes' of precious, interesting information and reading. Bavneet Brar" "...just wanted to say, your site is great!!!! very informative! I'm planning a trip from Pittsburgh, Pa, to Alaska, and you've answered a lot of questions that I have. Ralph Johnson, USA" "Thanks Grant...I DO love the compilation work you do! Ron Grant in Brisbane Australia!" "I think the website is great and inspirational even if it means I have to sit here jealous as a jealous thing. Cheers! Mark Johnson, UK" "I love reading the E-zine every month. Great job! I have a small suggestion for the e-zine. In the "Who's On The Road, And Where..." section of the newsletter, I would find it very useful to know what type of motorcycle is being ridden by that particular traveler. Perhaps as part of the title you could throw in the bike make, model and year if known. I always find it very interesting to know what type of motorcycle a traveler has chosen. Again, great magazine Grant. Since I can't be 'out there' at the moment, I can enjoy the stories of those who are out there now - because you put it all together each month. Thanks! Justin Hamel, Massachusetts, USA" ask and ye shall receive... I have added bikes to the heading where known. "Grant, Just found your website a couple of weeks ago, think it is absolutely fantastic. A combination of reading thru the site and watching the Dakar on the gogglebox has convinced me that it is time to sell the Magna 750 and buy a R80 GS. Thank you for setting me on the road to fulfilment... Stephen" "Every month you send your very good e-zine to my e-mail address at work. When I receive the e-zine I stop working and start to read.... This gets the highest priority :). But in May we are leaving on our trip to Asia. Can you change the e-mail address, where to send the e-zine to, so we can read them during our trip. Thanks, Udo Lamers
These are facts you probably have never realized. Or cared about. The word "racecar", "kayak", and "radar" are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left. "a man a plan a canal panama" spelled backwards is still "a man a plan a canal Panama" A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. A snail can sleep for three years. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day. Butterflies taste with their feet. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump. If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall. If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you will have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee. In ancient Egypt, priests plucked EVERY hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes. Ouch... Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, but dogs only have about ten. On average, people fear spiders more than they do death. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated. Which side do you always fall down on? An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. All polar bears are left handed. Women blink nearly twice as much as men. You are more likely to be killed by a Champagne cork than by a poisonous spider.
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Please be assured that we will NOT under any circumstances, rent, lease, sell, or give out our mailing list, and/or your name and e-mail address, to anyone for whatever purpose. Your privacy is assured, and personally guaranteed. Grant Johnson All comments and suggestions are carefully read, and where possible will be acted on. Your help will make this a useful service for all travellers. Feel free to use the Bulletin Board for questions. If you think there is something you'd like to see in the newsletter, please send me an e-mail. I will try to respond,
please be patient. ALL e-mail is normally replied to quickly, but who knows - we may be on the road! If you would like to advertise your product or service in this newsletter or on the website, please contact me at the above link. Ad rates are very reasonable. Details at this link.
Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers' e-zine - Copyright 1999-2001, Horizons Unlimited and Grant Johnson. All rights reserved.
Legal gibberish disclaimer: (particularly for those in countries that have more lawyers in one town, just for instance, New York, not to name any names, than some whole countries, as another example, Japan. Again, not naming anybody specifically you understand) Recommendations are based on positive or negative experiences of somebody, somewhere. Your mileage (kilometrage if you insist) may vary. We are not responsible in any way any product or service mentioned, and do not warrant any such mentioned product or service, and are not responsible for any bad things that may befall you. You are responsible for yourself! Act accordingly. We check all links and information given as close as possible to publication, and all info is correct as best we can determine at that time. |
We decided to make you guys work for the prizes we're giving away each month, great books (like Motorcycle S*x) from Greg Frazier, and Bernd Tesch. More prizes may be forthcoming if the response is good, including the long-awaited Horizons Unlimited T-shirt. Basically, first correct answer we receive WINS! Have fun! Susan, Quizmeistress... The first winners of the fantastic, brain-boggling tease Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers' Quiz are Ken and Carol Duval, Australia! Their comment; "We can't believe we won!! It's a great idea and makes sure we read all of the E-zine Keep the show going. People who don't ride motorcycles are now looking at your site. Great stuff. We enjoyed the quiz but entries could be restricted because of internet cost/availability while on the road." The question that tripped everyone up was #5, "How many bikers were in Quito during December, waiting for bikes to arrive from various locations (or carnets to get them out of customs)?" Answer. Eight - Richard and Christine from England, Gerald from Austria, Jens from Germany, Matt and Ed from Colorado, Lars and Tini from Germany. This month's quiz is a little bit easier than last months. All of the answers can be found in this newsletter so no excuses! Susan Here's the January Answers and the February Quiz! Rules on the Quiz page. Here's what you get to choose from when YOU win! Dr. Gregory Frazier, round the world traveller and author extraordinaire has very generously contributed a FREE book (or video) a month. Gregory Frazier's books: -New Zealand By MC, book
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"...Arrived just now in Arica in northern Chile. I'll definitely have to adjust my driving style. Here people stop at stop signs and red lights. In La Paz they were purely optional manoeuvres. Tomorrow (Wed 1 Feb) I want to get to San Pedro de Atacama, via Iquique for some cheap tyres and film. Want to stay there and thereabouts for a few days. Santiago in 7 to 10 days.
Oh yes, because the flights out of La Paz are so expensive, Enfield's are a load of pooh and I should stop being a whinging git, I only spent 2 days in La Paz (one of which servicing the ex at Walter's) and The Journey Continues... t d f by end March, latest... assuming I don't fall off again and there are no more major component failures. Talking of these... does anybody know where I can get another shock absorber for the bike (1989 R100GS) in Chile? (yes I do have the dealer's address!)
onwards, southwards, brightwards,"
"... they want $50,000 to let me walk to the top of Everest, and $20,000 to carry the little Enfield for the section I might not be able to ride (last 100 meters). Would you send me your Mastercard number and expiration date?
Cheers, Dr. G"
Gee, sorry Greg, I don't have a Mastercard. Grant
"... I am on my way to Nepal tomorrow (5th Jan) and on my way home through India, Pakistan, Iran ... My plan is to travel down from Kathmandu to Veranasi and then continue down to Goa and then Bangalore. From there I will head north again and into Rajastan and Pakistan.
I am not sure of my route apart from that I know that I have to go to Agra at some point ( either heading north or south). Can any one recommend a good (direct'ish) route I could take from Nepal to Goa so that I get to see the most of things?
I hope to be home in May / June which will mean I will have been away from home (London, UK) for two years and been through the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and now Asia.
All of you ride safe and if anyone needs any help don't hesitate, Matthew
"... I am in Antigua, Guatemala, enjoying the New Year. This will, unfortunately, be the last website posting due to my digital camera being sneakily removed from my possession the day I arrived in Guatemala. Better a camera than my motorcycle. (In the end, things are only things...)"
...in further conversation with Jason, I convinced him that words were fine, and he agreed, (probably in a better mood!) so hopefully there will be more soon. Grant
"...We are in Sukkur heading to Lahore after zipping down to Karachi for a couple of days: a city of extremes, tent slums of over a million without water or electricity minutes away from three-lane leafy freeways banked by five star hotels.
Glad Ramadan is over, have lost several pounds joining the fast. Pakistan's people (i.e. men) are incredibly friendly, keen to make contact, although it never goes very far. All the women are locked away 'freedom between four walls'; indeed, Iran seems positively liberated in comparison.
Waited three weeks for parts to be sent on from Iran. Still haven't arrived, so are pressing on north. Trying not to let my knackered sprockets spoil things.
Enjoying going slower. Quality not quantity is what motorbike travel is all about. Can't do more than 70kph on most of the roads. Fine."
"... Crossing the border into Guatemala at La Mesilla was a very simple affair... Our first stop was on Lake Atitlan. We had heard so much about it that we just decided to check it out for ourselves. What can we say? Yes, its beautiful... But there are so many gringos running around its shores that we just could not feel the magic. It's like its been shrouded behind the "cool traveller neo hippie thing". The epitome of this is the town of Panajachel. Of course the smaller villages around the lake are worth a look but the path is just too trodden on. As musician Roy Harper once said: "I just don't dig this scene that's all".
...We eventually got to the Guatemalan lowlands at Rio Dulce. The Rio Dulce area is fantastic. We spent quite a bit of time here, hanging out at a jungle lodge (Hacienda Tijax - very good) and at a small "finca" smack in the middle of the jungle on a small tributary known as Rio Tatin. "Finca Tatin" is owned by some very nice Argentines who landed there with their sailboat when travelling around the world, bought the land and built a very laid back and unpretentious place. Top hospitality and family atmosphere. And they have the nicest bunch of babies on the planet...
Before crossing into Honduras, we made a short run for the ruins of Tikal. Unfortunately, Nina was able to get more out of it than Gonzalo who spent most of the day running into the jungle and defecating on 1200-year-old Mayan pyramids. If they only knew what this dumb tourist was up to. But, once more I was fed by somebody who just did not wash their hands well enough and so I got another stomach explosion.
We are now in Nicaragua. The bike and equipment are top of the line and working beautifully (knock on wood right?)
Take care everybody. Besos y abrazos"
"...Stephen Uch, Germany, BMW R100 GS, "...On a long ride, but not around the world. Plans to park the bike in India and do some trekking for 6-12 months...
Angela Brandl, Germany, Honda Dominator,
... From Munich area, hooking up with friends. She has been to India before..."
"Samuel Koops, Germany, on an R1100GS is heading from Adelaide to Melbourne and then onto Sydney and is interested in the Karuah River Rallye.
Cuan Mulcahy, South Africa, on an Africa Twin is heading from Adelaide to Alice, Cairns, Brisbane and aims to be in Sydney around early March"
Markus (Swiss) on a 650 AT has ridden through Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos etc. He has been in Oz for 5 months. Marcus left my place yesterday and is heading for Brisbane and then Cairns to study English for a couple of months, and then he heads to Alaska and South America. He had a fall in Mongolia and broke his ankle , at the hospital it was just hammocks, no toilet or drugs etc., he had a pretty exciting time.
Pieter (Dutch) on a 750 AT has just ridden through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan India etc. and has had 6 weeks in Oz, he is in Sydney till the end of January when he and his bike are heading home. Pieters best story is of being locked up in Iran for a couple of days for being in a restricted area.
Jim and I took the boys for a ride on Sunday, unfortunately Jim took the Husky so we didn't have 4 AT's line astern, we did the Wombeyan Caves , Kowmung river, Jenolan Caves loop. We had a great time after Jim and his wife fed us a heap of eggs and bacon. Marcus and Pieter scooted along the dirt roads and trails pretty easily but when we got to the steep rutted descent to the Kowmung river both of them had small falls. Pieter was pretty jovial about it all, even when he fell over in the Kowmung river, but Markus got a bit stressed when he broke his front brake lever. Amazingly for world travellers neither of them had a spare lever!"
"Departure date is 19th January, although typically there's still a fair bit to do. How do you know you're ready?
I haven't planned any significant dates on route although I hope to be across the Sahara by the end of March. I expect the whole trip to take about 4 to 6 months, but I'm trying to remain totally flexible which I'm told is a wise move.
Countries planned to travel through, in order;
Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Sudan (aarrgh - visa not arrived yet), possibly Ethiopia if I can't get from Sudan to Kenya directly, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa."
"... leaving with my wife on February 13th for a six month trip to South America... 17000 kilometres through Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador. Not the Pan Americana, but all those small tracks, which lead through the mountains. I'm riding my big Monsterkuh made by Touratech, Franca is using a BMW F 650 GS."
"I'm trying to plan a solo motor bike trip from Beijing to London, through Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan.
My plan is to leave in May 2001. I'm riding a BMW F650 GS Dakar, I'm hoping to take a video camera and record the whole trip and make a documentary on it.
My biggest hassle at the moment is China, I'm hoping you might have some ideas or know of someone I can get in touch with in regards to getting permission to ride from Beijing to the Mongolian border. Any feed back would be appreciated. Thanks"
"Great website, I got hooked and resigned my "dream-job", still another 2 months before I can leave. I hope to start soon on my big trip, I've been dreaming ever since I was young, and it's about time I'm going. I'm currently working in Israel-Jordan and will be riding home to Belgium in march on my XR400 so I can start planning some real travelling!"
and another one corrupted forever... ;-)
There are 51 Communities running already.
Thanks to all those who took the first big step and established the Community in their area!
For details on how you can join or use the Community to get information and help or just meet people on the road, go to the Community page.
The Orel, Russia Community sent me some photos,
"We are The Orlovsky Motoclub. We are situated south of Moscow approx. 300km. Here are some pictures of us and our town..."
and I thought, "What am I going to do with these? Nice pics, great to see who they are and what Orel looks like - very nice btw - but... hey, why not let everyone see them?" So they are now on a webpage accessed from the Community page!
Send me some photos - with captions please - and a little text and you can have a webpage about your Community!
If anybody would like to translate the explanation text of the community page to make it easier for those whose first language isn't English - it's only a couple of paragraphs - I'd appreciate it. My German for instance is limited to fraulein, bier, weinerschnitzel, and uh... that's about it. Any other languages appreciated as well!
French and Spanish translation has been done by Jean-Pierre Poitras, Ottawa, Canada. Thanks very much Jean-Pierre! We could use a few more translations if there is anyone out there with a little time - and a second language?
More Community news as it happens...
"The Sunshine, Salza and Happiness..." this is a famous and beautiful Cuban song my daughter Malaika and I just brought back. It characterises a lot what we found there. We both were astonished to find again in the world how very poor people can be happy. Most Cubans in the countryside live in very small and old houses of wood or stones without good colour. Without a washing machine or other "normal Western" luxury. Some workers don't have a vehicle at all. They stand beside the road at the end of a village / town to wait for the next coach with horses, tractor, truck or any other vehicle to reach their next destination or home in the evening. Of course they could go by one of this totally overfilled busses as well. In their town it is quite normal that a more wealthy family travel by their own on ONE bicycle: two parents with two children.
All over you find those old American cars of the fifties. Often it is just the body which is original and a Russian motor is inside. After the revolution of 1959 in Cuba and the following American embargo the people had to manage to keep their cars running with all spare parts they can get somehow. You can see little mopeds; sometime with a family. Big old bikes are Harleys from before 1959; they are rare. I never saw a new big bike!
Malaika and Bernd wanted to travel through Cuba (1.200 kms long and up to 100 kms wide) by rented motorcycles. So we found the only big ones in Cuba by www.cubamoto.com. Two Germans (in Germany and in Havana (Habana)) start to build up this business. After we rode 150 kms we did not want to continue with those two chopper Suzuki LS650... So we rented two 50 ccm Japanese scooters in Varadero for US$24 each a day to "explore" some villages outside of the tourist area.
Even there everybody noticed that we are tourists because we were the only ones riding with helmets. From the first to the last day we liked the Cuban people. Very friendly and always laughing a lot. The sunshine does have a good influence to their soul I think.
Two million tourists come to CUBA a year. From those Cubans earn a lot of US Dollars. Malaika and I lived the most luxury vacation I ever had. With so much offer of food and all wanted drinks in this hotel "Bella Costa". For some days I learned how it is to be rich.
But even the 380 Cuban people working in this hotel did not give us one time the feeling that they were jealous. They have their sunshine, Cuba-Music, the Caribbean, nobody dies of hunger and they have a job. They are much more happy than we expected."
"Korea does not let you temporarily import a motorcycle. They do allow cars, however. Although we currently can't put our bikes on it, there is a ferry from Shimonoseki, Japan to Pusan, Korea and another one (I think) going between Russia and Korea. There is currently a movement starting in Japan to try to convince Korea to open up to motorcycles. Takeshi Kasori, a well-known (in Japan) adventure motorcyclist/author got special permission to ride Korea in October. But that was only a one-time thing. Kasori, has however, started an online petition to be sent to President Kim. The web site http://www.rurubu.co.jp/info/bike/ only in Japanese though. I will mail him and ask if they would consider putting up an English version of the petition so the rest of the world can get in on the action. Still time left since he is running it through the end of February. There is no guarantee that he will answer my mail. But I will try.
Chris Lockwood, Tokyo"
"...We insured our motor bikes through "East West Insurance Company", Islamabad, covering the minimum third liability risk which is DEM 4.000. The insurance covering one month (minimum) cost DEM 28, per person." Nils Hallenberg, Germany
"... I shipped a bike to Quito from Houston TX back last July, and have been in SA since, currently Santiago, Chile. I used Hellmann Worldwide Logistics in Houston. They are a German owned company that ships a lot of bikes, but mostly between Germany and the US. They made a good impression on me.
I will send a second e-mail, giving the name and address of the company in Quito that handled the receiving end. They were also helpful, though the bike arrived a week late, and it took about 5 days to clear customs. I think that's par for the course down here. I expect to use them to ship to Panama in late Feb, 2001.
Cordially, m_c_brooks_jr"
I haven't heard back, if anyone has any more details, please let me know. Thanks, Grant
"For a US citizen the situation is as follows;
For Syria you must get a visa in the Syrian Embassy in the US. It is not difficult to obtain. Note: your passport must NOT have an Israeli stamp. If you have an Israeli visa, or show evidence you have visited the State of Israel you will be denied entry to Syria.
Jordan, Israel and Egypt will issue visas on arrival. It is a good idea though to get your Jordanian and Egyptian visas ahead of time. It will save hassles at the border and assuage the Syrians that you really do not intend to cross into Israel! DO NOT get an Israeli visa.
Best place to cross into Israel from Jordan is at Aqaba/Eilat in the Red Sea coast. No hassles from either side, and fast.
You can only visit the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt from Jordan or Israel with your bike and no hassles. To visit the rest of Egypt is an incredible pain, and go there at your own peril. I wouldn't try to fake my way in from the Sinai. The least that could happen is that your bike will be confiscated.
Egyptian jails are no fun to look at, not even from the outside.
Iran: No problem as long as you show no Israeli stamps.
When entering Israel ASK THE ISRAELI BORDER GUARD NOT TO STAMP YOUR PASSPORT. They will oblige. Only way to leave Israel is by ferry from Haifa to Greece. Can't backtrack through Syria, and certainly NOT Iraq.
I hear that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States may be opening up a bit for tourists, but you are still left with the problem of how to proceed East through Israel-averse countries."
JANUARY 6 - Unsupported bikes banned from Libya?
Just in from Daan in Holland via Chris Scott... a mail from Peter Kik & Co - they were not allowed to enter Libya. Only [official?] groups and also [bikes] accompanied by cars are allowed to enter since 01-01-2001.
This was the case when we were there in 1997, but it had loosened up since then. Looks like it's back again. Has anyone heard anything further on this? Grant
Last month Istvan reported severe problems with Chloroquin. We suggested to Istvan that he try Lariam, as we have had excellent results with it ourselves, and if Chloroquin isn't working for him - and it certainly sounds like it isn't - he should just try something else! Here's his report;
"Last time I e-mailed I was in pretty bad shape, and thought about returning from Panama City. Well, I didn't. I thought about this a lot, and I realized that my only problem is Chloroquin. Now I take Lariam (=Mefloquin) which is supposed to be stronger and create even more problems. At this time I am already about 10 days on Lariam, and I don't have any side effects. That's good. Right?"
from you guys regarding malaria preventives. Here's a particularly interesting one;
"I recently read in a magazine (Men's Journal, November 2000, p. 67) of a prophylactic/treatment for malaria that was recently approved in the U.S. It is a British drug called Malarone that has been around for some time and is a mixture of Atovaquone and Proguanil, two antimalarials that are no longer reliable alone.
The article also discusses some of the problems with the current treatments, Chloroquine (brand name Aralen) and Mefloquine (Lariam). Chloroquine is a derivative of quinine, an antimalarial used by the Incas that had the possibility of causing blindness. Apparently Chloroquine still carries the warning that it can cause "irreversible retinal damage." Problems listed with Mefloquine include crazy dreams, panic attacks, and paranoia, though it seems like you have experienced this with Chloroquine also. In addition, some malaria strains in South America, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa are now resistant to both drugs. The Kenyan and Tanzanian governments have banned Chloroquine because of high failure rates.
According to the article, Malarone was 98% effective in prevention and 99% effective in treatment of malaria in African trials. The pills are taken daily instead of in weekly doses. Malarone does have some possible side effects however, including headaches and vomiting, and it is expensive. While treatment with Lariam runs about 50 USD/month, Malarone will cost about 130 - 170 USD/month. The travel-health physician interviewed in the article believes that Malarone will be especially useful for people that are going to regions with resistant parasites or for people who have problems with Lariam, but that that "Malarone is too expensive for a first-choice drug." In any case, while I don't know anything beyond what was in the article, you seem like a good candidate for this new treatment (budget permitting).
Kevin Henry, Saginaw, Michigan, USA"
"Great last bit to the story, I did not KNOW you could ride into Guyana from the south! Got my map out to see the 'road.' Congrats on your trip, is there any way I can read previous posts or website entries??"
"9 Jan 2001 Georgetown Guyana,
Dear Ron, Many thanks for your kind words, and all the way from Australia!
Yes, you can ride Guyana and my thinking is where a truck/coach can go an offroad bike can handle it, but you have to consider the options, when you're solo - laden with 20 litres of extra fuel in jerrycans / rucksacks / saddlebags / tent etc and the trail is flooded with potholes of 2 metre deep, 20 kms of deep sand, mud etc, even the trucks (ex British Army Bedfords) travel in convoy to help each other out when stuck or run off the road.
However the bridges have been rebuilt and are good though you have to stop and assess them before you cross as you can get the front wheel stuck and at the other side is usually a deep puddle. When you're so tired that travelling is no longer a sightseeing tour but an endurance to get from A-B - It ain't FUN and I only do things if they're fun.
This trail is used by Camel Trophy Rally in the DRY season and their route is supposed to be difficult, so you can imagine in wet season! There are many more trails to do in Guyana and I hope to check some out.
Guyana is pretty much virgin territory for offroaders and has a great potential, but for me that's for another day.
Right now I must return to the UK to work (a horrible four letter word!), but I hope to go via the Caribbean and catch up with some old scuba buddies and also get some sailing in around the Grenadines. It's difficult to sell the bike here with high duties, but cheapish to send back on a "banana boat" a cargo freighter, I thought of returning with this boat but the cost is astronomical (1000 Pounds Sterling) and I ain't too happy about those Atlantic storms especially heading into European waters.
I've dived enough wrecks off the South coast of England, so will probably fly back.
I have no web site but have written in to HorizonsUnlimited a few times throughout the year from various countries, so will cc this to Grant for a reply. Best Regards Keith King"
I've talked to Keith, and with any luck we'll have some stuff from him for an addition to the Travellers Stories section of the website. He made it to some interesting and unusual places in South America, so I'm looking forward to the whole story! Grant
Note that back issues of the e-zine are always posted permanently on the website.
"On freighting to South Africa from SE Asia look no further than Malaysian Airlines. They have a twice weekly flight out of Malaysia to South Africa stopping at Johannesburg and Cape Town. Their agent for cargo in South Africa is Aireps. A very helpful chappie in their Cape Town office is Delon Leo who can be contacted on dleo@aireps.com. If he can't help I'm sure he can put you on to someone who can."
"...In San Jose, Costa Rica is a pretty nice place close to the downtown area run by Thomas, a German who's been living there for some years. He's pretty much into motorbikes and has about 12 for rent. He also offers tours and is very helpful. Breakfast is great. Long-time travellers may put up their tent in his backyard.
B&B Ritmo Del Caribe, Paseo Colon / Calle 32 San Jose. tel.(506)256-1636 fax (506)233-4495
"...good dentist in Quito. His name is :Pablo PROAÑO, tel.:549897, 9 de Octubre / Eloy Alafaro, right on the corner in a building called Edificio Cisneros. Dr PROAÑO speaks German, English and of course Spanish.
"Christine and Richard had problems with Girag... the trouble with Girag was that the two were not allowed to stay with the bike while it was packed, some things were broken when it arrived in Quito, and it came late, due to overbooking the planes. So they were waiting here for the bike and contacted Senor R. Peredes and he lied about it. Very confusing and both were quite angry. But there do not seem to be too many alternatives to Girag."
"...We shipped from Darwin to Singapore. Wonderful guy, name is Jeff Lock at Perkins Trading in Darwin. Phone 61 (0)8 89822012. Has e-mail and fax but don't have it with me. They ship all over that bottom part of Asia. Takes 6 days Sing Darwin. All pretty easy if you have carnet."
The Foreign Office in London's Travel Advice Unit advises against all travel to all sorts of places. Check out the listing before you start!
The US State Department has issued travel advisories, information and/or warnings.
Gonzalo has done a remarkable amount of work in researching and collating all that is known about the requirements, and the realities, that travellers need to know about Latin America. I will be posting the results of the work for Central America on the web in January. South America in progress but will be longer. If anyone has any information please let us know. When you cross ANY border, take some notes, and pass them on. Eventually we would like to have information for all the borders of the world posted on the website to help you, and other travellers.
Wouldn't YOU like to know all about the border you're approaching - what it should cost, paperwork required, "tips" needed, and who to talk to etc.?
Just send in whatever you can as you go.
Thanks to all who have sent info in the past, please keep it up!
There is also currently much discussion re carnet/temporary importation requirements into Australia. Don't suppose anyone in Oz has the time to do a little research to get the official story, and send me the info?
Thanks, Grant
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Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers' e-zine
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I am working on a listing of people who have ridden around the world, as well as what I call "significant journeys" e.g. the first across Africa. Any information you may have on this topic, please let me know. Preferably post it on the Bulletin Board, or e-mail me direct. I currently have information on around 100 world travellers listed, but there are many more. Some people think there are around about 100 people who have done a full around the world. And there's at least 20 enroute now, although some won't make it all the way. Have YOU done it?
Bernd Tesch has produced a very comprehensive list, at his website of long distance travellers. Bernd now lists some 240 travellers. Not all have actually done an around the world, some are in progress.
I'll let you know when we have the actual RTW count to date. We have some overlap, and some new to each other. We'd like to think that we have everybody, but of course we don't, so please continue to send any new information on any travellers you meet.
Send me your national AA address or wherever you get Carnets from, and I'll post it. Fees, contact info etc. would be very useful of course! Thanks.
"FotoAsia is looking for Asian images, so if you are travelling though the area and get some great shots, contact us, you may be able to make a bit of money and become famous as well. Check out www.fotoasia.com." Tell them we sent you and they'll treat you nice - really?
We hope you've enjoyed this issue, and do please let us know your thoughts. It's your newsletter, so tell us what you want to know about!
See you next month, or on the road somewhere, someday...
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Mike and Rosi
