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Motorcycle Travellers' News Report

51st Edition, August/September 2004

Welcome to the 51st Edition, the first newsletter edited entirely by Susan, who is now in England. Life has become hectic for us - we are travellers again, but not the way we like to travel - slowly and by motorcycle. Instead, it's transatlantic flights and jet lag! I have been working in London for a little over a month now, on a 3 month contract, keeping in touch by video conference over the Internet - technology is wonderful!

Grant's travel schedule for the next month is pretty brutal. He is riding to the HU Canada 2004 meeting in Revelstoke this week. After coming back on Sunday the 12th to Vancouver, he flies on the 13th overnight from Vancouver to London and on to Munich. I'll see him at Heathrow for a couple of hours between flights! He's at Intermot from 15-19 September, then in meetings with sponsors and potential sponsors and advertisers until 23 September, when he flies to Lisbon and drives 200 kms north to Góis, site of the HU Portugal 2004 meeting from 24-26 September. This time he's determined to make it, after last year's failed attempt ;-)

Since we haven't seen each other since the end of July, I insisted on a visit of more than the 2 hours at Heathrow between flights. So, he will be in London from the 26 Sep - 3 October, then flying back to Vancouver. While he's in London, we're hoping to get together with some of the HU UK folks on 30 September in London. See my HUBB post for details.

Grant will have a little over a week back in Vancouver before going to the HU Mexico 2004 meeting in Copper Canyon on 14-17 October. I think he's hoping for a rest (or a nervous breakdown) sometime around the end of October!

That's why I'm editing the newsletter this month, so I take full blame for any errors or omissions. This is a big issue, with lots of great stories and pics from travellers all over. Thanks to all the travellers for the entertainment and inspiration they provide to the rest of us, whether we're off the road temporarily or just armchair travellers.

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your editors, Grant and Susan Johnson, (about us, contact us)

Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings...

Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings 2004 - time to plan ahead!

Upcoming Travellers Meetings

Make sure you've marked your calendar for these events - there's bound to be one on your continent!

Western Canada / USA, Third Annual Meeting, September 10-12 2004

Carol Palladino and Peter Cameron (see earlier issues of the e-zine for their RTW) will be hosting this event again, in beautiful Revelstoke, BC. Some of the best riding country in the world, rides of every description, including one to a local hot spring. I plan to be there! I'm looking forward to meeting a lot of you in person for the first time, and catching up with old friends. Watch for new location in Revelstoke. Details and sign-up here.

Portugal, Second Annual Meeting, September 24-26, 2004.

Great new location, details and sign-up here! I am planning on actually being there! (I'm going to be at Intermot the previous weekend, and will fly to Portugal for the meeting.)

Australia, Second Annual Meeting, October 1-3, 2004

Same location as last year, Ulmarra, NSW. Ken and Carol Duval are organising it again this year, and could use a little assistance and presentations - volunteers? Last years meeting info, and registration for this year.

Copper Canyon, Creel, Mexico, Oct 14-17, 2004

Yes that's 4 days - we're extending it - too much to do and places to ride! Main 'events' will still be Friday night, Saturday and Saturday night. I plan to be there! Come early, we'll point you in the right direction for a great ride!

Planning in progress, expect lots of exciting things, trail rides, tours of the area and more. If you wish to put on a slide show let us know! Final details coming soon, registration now available.

2003 Mexico Photos posted here!

Viedma, Argentina, December 3-5, 2004

2004 Registration here. Oscar Knecht, HU Viedma Community and organiser of the meeting says "...we will have some Argentinean moto travellers... very good asados and good wines on the river shore, or the beach, see some historic and interesting places..."

Oscar's is a favourite stop with traveller's on the way to Ushuaia - if you're headed that way be sure to add this event to your plans!

See the Meetings page for more details on all events.

Why not start - or finish - your cross-country or RTW trip from one of this year's meetings? We guarantee a great reception and a free t-shirt! Anyone from overseas who plans to be in North America this summer, we'd love to see you at a meeting. (Grant will also be at the Portugal Meeting this year, as well as Intermot for the big motorcycle show.) Bring your stories and pics and show us where you've been! For those of you who haven't been to a HU travellers meeting, it's a great experience, different from any other motorcycle event, described as a "...uniquely typical travellers atmosphere that's an odd ball combination of mellow, and tail wagging enthusiasm." Make 2004 the year to get to one, two or more events and meet your fellow travellers!

If you are planning on coming to one of the meetings this year, please register early. Also let us know if you'd like to show a few slides from one of your trips too - it doesn't have to be a fancy multimedia presentation, a few slides and a few words about the area is great. Length can be anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes.

Who's on the road, and where...

Maarten Munnik, Netherlands, around the world, in Ecuador and Colombia, Honda Africa Twin,

"The road to San Augustin is bad. Very bad. If this is not enough to make life of a bike-traveller a pain, it’s also infested with guerrillas, which can be nasty. If those two facts are not enough to persuade sane people not to go there, it was also raining so the bad road had turned into a 120 km mud-pool.

Even roads that seem to be perfect have some nasty surprises...

I guess that was my cue. Time to pack and leave tranquil Popayan to head for the mountains. Yes, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I am stupid and naive. but I like it that way.

It started pretty nice. A faint sun, a nice tarmac road, bending its way through the valleys, but of course every good thing comes to an end at one point. Soon my speed was down to about 10 km an hour. on the good parts that is. The big and deep holes, which were now filled with mud and water, kind of kept my speed down a bit. Still I was going fast enough to pass the few trucks that tried to work their way up the mountain.

Who needs a bridge?

Now, to avoid guerrilla confrontations, which seems to be the wise thing to do, there were a few basic rules, which were explained to me by other travellers.

1. If there is no oncoming traffic for a while, there might be a roadblock up ahead. Stop and wait for the traffic to appear again.
2. Guerrillas can be recognised by the trousers, then are not inside their boots.
3. If you stumble onto a roadblock and suspect that they are guerrillas, open the throttle and blast your way out of there.
4. Never stop or leave the main road.
5. Always listen to locals.

Seems easy enough, doesn’t it?

But. rule nr. 1 seems to be in direct violation of rule nr. 4. And the local police told me I could take the road to San Augustin since there had not been any incidents for 3 months. In this case rule nr. 5 is also in conflict with rule nr. 4. I guess this cancels rule nr 4.

And while we are cancelling. Rule nr 3 is nonsense on a road like this. Any crippled guerrilla on crutches could have kept up with me with his hands tied behind his back and his eyes closed. And the road I was on did not have any traffic. So also no oncoming. Should I stop and wait for 5 days? OK, I guess life is not as uncomplicated as my fellow travellers seem to think. But it got worse.

Maarten's little house in San Augustin, Colombia

After working my way through the mud and rain for about 2 hours I was suddenly confronted with a group of man dressed in green carrying big guns. Quickly I looked to see how they wore there trousers (in or out there boots. rule nr. 2) but to my surprise they all wore rubber boots, the kind farmers have. so no clues there.

After talking for awhile, checking my passport and asking how fast my bike could go. I noticed that they were dressed a bit sloppy. And a few of them had a necklace with a cannabis-leaf. Hardly the image of well-trained government-troops. So I started to wonder.

But how to find out? Asking? Why not? So I asked. ‘Are you guerrillas?’ The leader looked kind of surprised and answered, kind of annoyed ‘No, we are government troops’. Oops. Sorry..."

Later, exploring the tombs in San Augustin

Kerstin Gaeckle and Volker Aldinger , Germany, to Australia, in Indonesia and East Timor, Yamaha Ténérés,

"From Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia we shipped our Bikes to Sumatra, Belawan (Medan). Our cargo ship was a Bananas boat, loads fully with Thai bulbs. We ourselves had to use the passenger ferry. However we could take our Bikes in receipt on the same day. With our Carnets the entry was not a problem. But with the harbour master we had actually to negotiate about the fees.

Our 1. destination was the Lake Toba. The world largest Volcano krater lake. With the mountains and the forests all around as well as the catholic churches we feel reminded of Italy. On the small island they have almost no tourist and we enjoys the wonderful peace. Sumatra is green, closer, impenetrable rain forest. The coast road along the Indian ocean is calmly and beautifully to drives. We achieve the equator and thus the southern hemisphere. Half world is done!

Starting from Bukit Tinggi emerges the Sumatra Highway as Highway to hell. Those are not big holes - those are craters. The enormous truck traffic does not make it simpler for us. Humans in the villages stare to us after. We are with our motorcycles the attraction. If we stop beside the road immediately we are surrounded from the native. Java is still more extreme. From the 200 million inhabitants of Indonesia 75% live on Java. That takes places only 8% to the land mass. And we have the feeling that always 100 millions are on the roads. Traffic is chaotic. If one does not overhaul drivers on the right they will pass on left. The trucks overhaul despite oncoming traffic. And everyone constantly honks. After we had us on this traffic, we adapted to the driving fashion. In the evening our faces are black colored of the exhaust gases.

We made a longer break with Jeffrey and Milly, the HU Community Java West. Jeffrey was for us a large assistance. In addition it made with us 2 daily trips with the Bike. We became acquainted with Java from another side. Thank you to Jeffrey and Milly, his wife.

A special highlight on Java was the volcano Bromo. It is still active and surrounded by a sand lake. In this breath-taking volcanic landscape we drove with our motorcycles. An unforgettable experience.

Bali was full-plugged with tourists and we spend not a long time up there. Likewise on Lombok. The islands Sumbawa and Flores pleased us very well. Well developed roads and very little traffic. Also the landscape changed drastically. No more rainforest. But bald mountains and dry vegetation. Humans are very friendly and contrary to Sumatra and Java reserved. Our motorcycles are admired however further like an attraction in the zoo. Also in West Timor we did not have problems. With English and a little Indonesian we come through everywhere. The gasoline price is nationally regulated and from Sumatra to Timor costs 1 ltr. Gasoline ridiculous Euro 0.17 - the cheapest price on our past journey.

Kids in Dili, East Timor

On the road to Timor Leste we believed to have missed a branch. We had the feeling to drive into the bush and not to an international border. At the border we arrive in the darkness. The police offers accommodation immediately to us. The policemen eliminate an office. Here we could spend the night on the floor. Again with our Carnets both the departure as well as the entry Timor Leste was without problems. However the visa costs us US$ 30.00 p.p. In the former East Timor are noticeable to us immediately the many UN vehicles. For the moment US dollar is the national currency. Compared with Indonesia all around 50 to 100 % are more expensive. Owing to the ship company Perkins and the airline Air North is a connection after Darwin, Australia without long waiting periods. Although very expensively. We have it do not repent to drive 5,800 km crosswise by Indonesia. The island world offers beautiful motorcycle roads and breath-taking landscapes. And interesting is Indonesia always."

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Jim Oliver and Dennis O'Neil, USA, RTW in 60 days, BMW R1150GS

"Dennis O'Neil and I traveled around the world East to West, through 13 countries and logging 15,500 miles in 60 days. We were on a short time frame due to my limited time allotted. We surely are some of a handful of motorcyclists to cross all of Russia without using the train in the Amur area which was just opened by President Putin this year. That area is very rugged and a construction in progress for about 2,000 kilometers. We experienced mud, ruts, jagged rock, loose deep gravel, sand, and hill climbs along the Amur section with many detours through the creeks and rivers to go around bridges under construction. But we experienced no pavement in that area. We were robbed of a helmet once and a few days later my GPS and a compass were stolen - all in Siberia.

We experienced extreme fatigue through the Amur since we were riding 15 to 18 hours per day and getting by on 5 to 6 hours of sleep while camping out 75% of the time. The gain of one hour every other day traveling this direction actually worked against us by increasing our fatigue since we used it for riding instead of resting. I called into the radio station in Goodland, Kansas everyday via Satellite Telephone and reported our progress. The station found that to be a huge success.

‘Lucille’ (my BMW R1150GS) and I became somewhat famous in the local area due to the large numbers in the listening audience each morning.

After Russia we went through Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany with repairs in Munich, Austria, Switzerland, Italy with repairs in Bergamo, France, Andorra, Spain and Canada.

We shipped across the Pacific from Seattle to Vladivostok, Russia by boat and I shipped across the Atlantic by air from Paris to Montreal. Dennis actually shipped across the Atlantic from London to Toronto by air. All of these shipments went very well and we had no damage to the bikes.

I thought the trip, under that time element, would be a challenge. I under estimated the severity of the challenge due to the poor condition of the Russian roads and the curious people in Siberia. The language barrier in Russia was a real limiting factor when it came to food and eating. We always put our bikes in the local Police Impound Yard when using the services of a hotel while in Russia. Western Europe would be much more enjoyable if a person took it on while fresh. Dennis and I felt like we were on one of the world's longest Enduros.

Of course, we met many wonderful people throughout the world. Neither of us got sick and neither went down at high speed. Our BMW GS bikes never quit us although we did have some trouble with poor quality gas in Russia which had to be drained out and replaced. I would be happy to answer any questions that I can for the readers."

Rupert Wilson-Young, UK, Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, in Peru, Yamaha Vino 49cc,

"Ruts, constant gravel, sand, rocks the size of small houses and a pass at 4853 m's where I had to push a wee while. We made it though. The landscape was incredible also. Sometimes the road was actually quite good though, for a record breaking 40k or something like that. When this was the case it was incredible. Impossible switchbacks clinging to the mountainside, Indians giving me gringo jibes and snowcapped, massive, vegetation-clad mountains all around. It was nice. Sometimes, in fact twice, the road twisted down from a height of above 4000 metres 50 kilometres straight down to under 2000 metres. This was a lesson in what to wear because I was freezing in the morning and baking when it was time to eat that bread and butter that was probably melting by now.

Just when I couldn’t be bothered to concentrate and was in desperate need to go faster than snails pace and I thought the road was Ok I came across a massive rock or a huge whole in the ground and yes, there we go again, crunch and bang. Anyway we made it to the end of this terrible road yesterday afternoon as we joined the main super-highway from Nasca to Cusco. All seemed well and after a quick rest it was time to pull the throttle hard back for the first time in around a week and we were away. The sun was shining, the mountains were iridescent and the road was so smooth I could almost have eaten it.

However the cruel stroke of irony was about to be played and after only three miles the engine ground to a halt. I knew I 'd been hitting the bottom hard many, many times over but I really thought I 'd escaped and was now on paved heaven all the way to Bolivia. I thought I might try to turn the engine over again. We did and to my obvious ecstatic self we got going again. All was not perfect though. The engine was really heavy and it wouldn’t idle at all. We got to Abancay though, and that was the main thing. I decided to go to a mechanic the next day, because I was pretty sure I hadn't done anything really serious, otherwise the engine wouldn’t have started at all...

...I 'm on engine No.3. It turned out not to be just a dust problem in the air filter, as between Abancay and Cusco the engine got steadily more unreliable becoming near impossible to start even with the kick and making increasingly metallic noises inside the air intake. I made it to Cusco however, and to my surprise, apart from all the above, with not such a drastic reduction in power. I realised though, that a definite service was in order. I searched for a Yamaha dealership but it was truly in vain because the only one, I found out, was in Lima. I wanted the treatment I had in Costa Rica but it was just not to be.

After a tip from the tourist police I made my way to another mechanic. He was Brazilian and had a certificate from a Yamaha dealership in Rio so I decided to take a chance. After ripping Spears apart we found out that I 've f++ked my rings, piston and cylinder head. He would do it for around 86 English but it would take around a week because the genuine Yamaha parts would have to come from Lima. It seems fine now if a little underpowered but I need to take it very easy as it's a new engine and it needs breaking in. I may go for a quick ride tonight before we get on the road tomorrow to Puno and Lake Titicaca and Bolivia in around a week. I look forward to leaving Peru. I've had Rabies, in my head anyway, I thought I may have malaria and I 've hurt Spears."

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Tom Hunter, USA, in Peru, BMW R1150GS,

"My troubles on the way to Huaraz begin in 2003 when Ricardo Rocco marks up my map of Peru and says ‘there’s a great private road here, with gates at each end. Just ask and they’ll let you through.’ Our conversation on that particular point ended, but it was obvious from the map that it cut off as much as fifty miles on my way to Huaraz.

I find the gates to Ricardo’s cut-off, and while I’m just a little surprised to find a gravel road, I’m not concerned. This route is essentially Death Valley. There is not so much as a drop of moisture, a blade of vegetation, or other than the road, even a single sign of human existence for the first fifteen miles. I’m unconcerned, though, and other than taking some pictures, keep moving. Of course, I’ll be happy to reach pavement again, at what I surmise will be seventy kilometers (42 miles.)

At forty-two miles I arrive at Chuquicara, really just a construction camp from all the heavy equipment in sight, that appears to be the staging point for a large road construction job. Perhaps that should have been my first clue, but I stop to buy water, take some pictures and head for the pavement.

While my destination for the night is Huaraz, still over eighty miles distant, the intermediate point is Caraz, and the point at which I’ve now been told to expect pavement. One of the group says it’s forty kilometers (24 miles) to Caraz and will take four hours by auto but only three hours by motorcycle. Three hours for forty kilometers works out to eight miles per hour, and I’m a bit perplexed by the pronouncement, but the forty-two mile gravel backtrack is equally unappealing.

I press on, although I realize that I’m in serious trouble after about five miles, when it takes a half hour. The gravel, angular and varying in size from peas to cantaloupes, only hides sharp rocks below it. I keep the bike in first gear and rarely hit ten miles per hour. Road moguls of eight to ten inches high are continuous.

At seventeen miles, close to one and one-half hours after leaving Chuquicara I stop to ask a trucker who is repairing his eighteen-wheeler. ‘How far to Caraz,’ I ask. ‘Tres horas,’ he replies. Three hours, I think, it was three hours from the construction camp, well over an hour ago. But I continue on this hideous highway – Peru Ruta 12 – carved into the narrow canyon of the Rio Santa. At many points the canyon is so narrow that the Peruvians have resorted to tunneling through the adjoining mountain. I lose count after twenty tunnels; each a precarious passage in its own right. Twice I ford streams seeking the Rio Santa, and often cross rickety bridges over its raging waters – arriving fresh and fast from the glaciers of the nearby Cordillera Blanca. Not to overly dramatize the situation, if that is at all possible, but this makes the Dalton Highway look like a walk in the park.

My low point hits as I ride much of the next two miles through long, very dark tunnels. These are one-way, of course, but the biggest problem is that I can’t see the road. As I bounce from rock to rock I try to avoid the thick, high gravel piled between the tracks, and several times nearly put the Beemer on its side.

The tension is clearly rising. Mentally I’m beginning to compute how long my water will last. Secretly I hope that this is not the point where I’ve finally bitten off more than I can chew.

Then up ahead I see a spot in the road, which appears to be moving in my same direction. It might be a person leading a mule, I’ve now seen three or four, and since I’m moving very slowly, perhaps a minute passes before I conclude that it’s a bicycle. Well, in another minute I catch Sjoue, a young Frenchman pedaling for four years around the world. For a moment we simply stare at each other in amazement, then break out in laughter at the absurdity of the situation.

Sjoue speaks no English, I no French, and so we communicate in rudimentary Spanish. He is very calm and is not in the least concerned either for his safety or his arrival date in Huaraz, my anticipated destination for the night. ‘Caraz,’ he says, responding to my inquiries about the resumption of pavement, ‘maybe tomorrow, maybe not.’ I finally comprehend that he is completely at ease with unrolling his sleeping bag on the smoothest gravel he can find once the lack of light curtails further travel.

His complete lack of concern transforms me. I have some water, a river fifty feet away and a water purifier in my panniers, a little food, tent and sleeping bag. A few vehicles a day will pass by. This is not life threatening; merely a bad road in the middle of a wonderful trip. We exchange e-mail addresses, toast our respective countries with bottled water and each move on."

Daniel Todd, USA/Puerto Rico, second around the world tour, in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Brazil, KLR650,

"...I celebrated my birthday in Skol which is renowned for the local culinary delight of large spiders that are fried and eaten like potato chips and grown in large pits in the ground...

... The last 50 Kilometers to the border are the most heavily mined areas left in Cambodia. In all my travels in mined countries, I have never seen anything like this; both sides of the road are roped off and every 15 feet there are red flags with a skull depicted and 'danger' written in both English and Khmer.

From Cambodia I went directly to Bangkok as I had already spent a week organizing the shipment of my bike out of SE Asia beforehand so that everything would go smoothly upon my arrival. But when I got there I got the same surprise that many other veteran SE Asian bikers like Daniel Vetter and Phillip Janowski have had many times. Just like them I was told at the last minute that I would have to pay three times more than I was originally quoted and had to take my bike out of the crate, reassemble everything and make plans to ship from another Country!

Both Daniel and Phillip had warned me but since my trip was ending in Thailand, how could I justify riding anther 1200 KMS to Kuala Lumpur? In the end I had an extra two weeks holiday in four different places in Southern Thailand and still had 500$ left over in my pocket from the money that I saved!

Port Klang, Malaysia is the only reasonable place in SE Asia to ship to or from. Singapore is a poor second alternative because of extra costs like mandatory insurance and higher living costs. Many of the other poorer Countries lack the infrastructure to compete with these more modern Countries. And while Thailand gives the illusion of being practical, the customs system is too costly and complicated to be seriously considered. Customs wanted 50$ just to stamp my Carnet!

Total shipping costs to Rio de Janeiro were only 230$ but it costs me another 450$ to get the bike released in Rio. I considered this reasonable as everyone that goes into Buenos Aires is paying much more. I knew that Brazil was a poor option since it does not honor the Carnet system and many others have had bigger problems. Chile is the only reasonable place in all of South America to ship to when using a boat. But I choose Rio because I wanted to use it as a base while exploring South America and used this time to learn Portuguese as well. It took 9 days to clear the bike as I told the agent that was helping me that there was no hurry. Of the 450$ that I paid to clear the bike in Brazil, 200$ went to the agent. This was the first time I ever used an agent because the Brazilian Customs system is very bureaucratic. I was given 90 days and can get another 90 days if I desire at no extra cost.

Rio de Janeiro is not an overland friendly place: There is no parking except in the more expensive hotels. All of the ugly things that Rio is notorious for seem to jump out at you and assault your senses: the poverty, the favelas and the general vibe that some serious crime is present. As you enter the city through the Zona Norte off the main highway it feels like your driving through a war zone.

But it is a city that takes time to know and it really grows on you. While I didn’t like Rio at first, by the end of the second week I was hooked on the life style of the Cariocas: The beaches, music, food and the never ending ‘fiestas’ or parties that are going on around the clock. Oh, did I forget all the hour glass-shaped figures that walk by every 10 seconds? Oh Brazil, I love you!"

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Glen Heggstad, USA, around the world, in Mongolia and Russia, R1150GS,

"I was lucky to be on soft dirt when I went down but it could have gone either way, a different twist when landing—maybe some broken bones. one more rotation - a busted frame. I can get by without a mirror or windshield, but bent, steel brackets supporting the aluminum saddlebags meant I was effectively dead in the water. It would take weeks to have replacements shipped over while the last days of my Russian visa slowly expired.

A protein bar with Lenin

Mandal Gobi is the last big settlement before entering the Gobi Desert. Few of the shacks have running water and the three shops carry only minimal goods. Other than a gas station, there are no provisions. Try to calculate the odds of encountering a well drilling team of Czech technicians on assignment from their government with a mobile machine shop. The oldest of the team trained in Cuba during the days of the Soviet Empire. Once again Spanish becomes the medium of communication. In the cramped dining room of the hostel, we swap stories from Spanish into Czech and back again.

They ask why I am limping and favoring my shoulder so I relate the afternoon events. They want to look at the bike, maybe they can fix it. 'Have at,' I say, 'but there’s little to do out here without tools.' At first I didn’t understand why they laughed but an hour later the surgeons were hard at work dismantling the bent frame, welding the steel fasteners and using superglue with duct tape to piece the shattered windshield back together. They bundled metal water pipes as a circular anvil to pound the round sections of the frame back into shape. Within four hours, the Blue Beast was restored to health. In spite of what you hear on TV, the world is still packed with decent people. I find armies of them on the road like these men before me.

Adios amigos

... I’m almost too embarrassed to tell this story but you might as well know what a geek I am. Two consecutive days on a mud road appearing like it was assaulted with cluster bombs had me dingy. The potholes were so deep and spaced so close; it was a 5mph creep for hours.

Like concrete when dry

High-capacity Touratech fuel tanks are a terrific option providing long-range when needed yet can be left half full when less weight is advantageous. I deliberately only filled them halfway for the slippery conditions ahead. Five gallons less, means forty pounds lighter when trying to wrangle through mud. Even if the low-fuel light blinks on, that only means I have 120 miles to re-supply. I keep a set of spare keys stashed on the bike where they are safe yet easy to access quickly in an emergency. I wrapped them in soft duct tape and tucked them up underneath the rubber boot on top of the gas tank under the seat.

About the time I started looking for a place to dry out and get warm, without warning, the motor quit. Not a sputter, a cut-off. Repeated attempts to restart were only leading to a dead battery. I’ve spent years riding bikes with carburetors - they are easy to repair. New BMWs come with electronic fuel injection, a superior method of metering fuel, but also difficult to repair on the road without a computer and special tools. It’s a nagging fear, wondering what to do if this system malfunctions in Africa or here in Siberia. I have no expertise in this field.

Local boys

My brain overloads analyzing the problem. Maybe a broken wire buried somewhere in the yards of electrical tubes? A burned out circuit board? A malfunctioning computer? Chips gone haywire? How will I ever repair this here? What about my slowly expiring Russian visa? How will I survive wet with the sun going down? The worst of my fears has arrived. Although this is named the Trans-Siberian Highway it’s really just a lightly travelled, rugged road across half of Russia and tolerable the rest. The forest is far too dense to see into-a decent shelter from the barrelling storm. Rain still drips down but the winds can’t get me.

I hear it before I see it, a lumbering big rig, bouncing toward me rocking side to side over the mangled road. The truck stops before I have a chance to wave. I don’t need to understand Russian to know that the driver is asking what am I doing out here? The lower end of his tractor-trailer is four feet off the ground but I pat my bike and point to the rear door. He considers the suggestion and after a conversation with his partner, they jump down from the cab. All that’s left is for the three of us to pick up six hundred pounds of motorcycle over our heads and shove it into this trailer.

Truckers to the rescue

Halfway done unloading my gear to lighten the load, a car stops with two muscle bound racecar drivers. They recognized the situation and before we had a chance to ask for help they were donning overcoats and headed our way. With nothing to secure the bike, we wedge it against the wall between two massive spare tires. The rig is a new deluxe cab Volvo with plush interior--the driver orders me to strip off my muddy clothes before climbing in. They live on the road hauling dairy products between Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk. This is their home, they want it clean. Minutes later we’re bouncing our way three hundred miles west. The nearest BMW dealer is further than their destination but when we arrive, they meet a friend driving a similar truck leaving that afternoon. While loading onto the next rig I decide to see what happens firing the engine one last time. Bang, it pops to life like nothing ever happened. So what does this mean? Engine failure due to a wet connection? Maybe a loose wire temporarily barely reconnected? Let’s unload, I’m going to ride.

But what if it fails again and you get stuck? No, I’m sure I can make it. After a test ride around the parking lot, everything seems okay and I’m convinced it was a wet connection now dry. I will certainly make it to the dealer now. They warn me once again before I wave goodbye and blast out onto a newly paved stretch of road. Just as I hit fifth gear, the motor shuts down again sending me coasting to the curb. Now I’m certain it’s a dirty fuel filter or malfunctioning fuel pump.

Upon pulling the pump, I discover welcome relief—no gas! On top of the tank where I stash spare keys were delicate wires connecting to the low fuel light, the reason there was no warning. Minutes later, another trucker stops. He has extra fuel used in his generator and siphons a few litres to get me going. Anyhow, I’m warm and dry now headed for Moscow with lots of time."

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Simon Milward, UK, around the world, in Zanzibar, home built Rotax,

"Jambo! (Hello in Swahili) I've gone around the world! If it's a cultural world tour then Arabian influence is unmistakable here in Tanzania with the Muslim calls to prayers starting at 5am each day, veiled women, the distinct Arabian musical influence and Indonesian products like the pink packaged mosquito repellent.

Zanzibar is an island in the Indian Ocean just off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa. Explorers, sultans, slave traders, merchants and pilgrims all chose Zanzibar as their strategic base, spurred by monsoon winds along trade routes, driven by imagined wealth and riches or led by starry maps and religious conquest towards escape and discovery.

Zanzibar absorbed peoples from The Orient and Iberia, Assyria and India, carried in centuries gone by on trade winds. Tribe and nationality were blurred creating a cultural tapestry and rich ethnic array that is the foundation of the peaceful Zanzibari way of life and friendly spontaneous hospitality. Here is the birthplace of Swahili, the East African language, a lingua franca forged from global dialects, upon which legends were carried, trade routes opened and a Sultan's empire prospered. The Sultan of Oman once even made his capital here.

I glance out of the window of this Internet café at wooden dhows moored just 20 metres from the promenade and behind them are a few luxury catamaran cruisers. This is historic Stone Town, a metropolis built to harbour secrets in its labyrinthine alleyways of ornately carved doors and serene courtyards. Emblems of a rich and tumultuous history survive, depicted through Arabian knights palaces, mournful slave markets, aromatic spice bazaars, ornate cathedrals and an historic fort that was the scene of the worlds' shortest war survive today.

Arriving in Tanzania from Malawi I was struck by the beauty of the West. I spent two weeks in Dar es Salaam mainly to make my presentation for the people, which was well attended at the Royal Palm Hotel. We managed to raise some money and everyone enjoyed their night of high adventure!

The health ministry in Tanzania is very interested in motorcycle ambulances used to transport pregnant mothers with complications to hospital. The maternal mortality rate is very bad since there is no transport and the roads are small and poor. I was able to pass on some contacts for units produced in Africa, they may put them in next year's budget.

Tanzania has the best designed road humps in the world: before the hump there is a series of three smaller rumble strips that warn you of the proper bump ahead. And for disabled round towners, there are three wheeled bicycles pedaled with the hands.

In five hours' time (10pm) the ship Aziza II will be leaving for Pemba Island and I will reluctantly be on board. I am hooked on exotic and mysterious Zanzibar and I'm definitely coming back."

Sam Andrews, Australia, in North Vietnam, Minsk 125,

"I recently spent 2 weeks motorbike touring northern Vietnam with a great friend of mine. We arrived in Hanoi after backpacking Thailand and Laos, and were desperate to get a motorbike and do a bit of touring. After making some inquiries in search of a nice road/trail bike to take us round in relative comfort, we soon discovered that Vietnam was not a place to find such a thing, although the streets of Hanoi are chaotic with Vespa type scooters. The only choice we could make was either one Vespa, which I had my doubts would manage to get up the steep mountainous ranges Northern Vietnam is reputed for, or a 125cc 1950's Russian Minsk. We took the Minsk. We nicknamed her Minnie, and set off on our trip with one or two change of clothes each, these bikes were not set up for touring. So we headed off with our full 3 gears working, incredibly, and took the route that we think the owner said not to take. We soon found out why, the so-called highway was a mud-bath/construction zone/pit for the first 2 days.

We were on this little bike 10-12 hours a day, averaging roughly 12km/h! But I have to admit it was great fun, especially as I had such good company who looked at it the same way as I. The first night definitely made it all worthwhile, we found a nice man who took us to his guest house and showed us to a nice bamboo silt house in some rice-paddy fields, had a good shower (no hot water in these parts) and later we were supplied with a big meal to get us ready for the next day's assault. All the best hospitality in the world for a few dollars. The next day was much of the same, although my speed freak friend made me ride faster and faster on these god awful roads, I could feel the forks wobbling in their clamps, accentuated by the loose handle bars and the fact the bike bottomed on almost every hole.

The only helmet I could hire was considerably too small (Vietnamese are not quite the same size as a 6'2’ Australian) and gave me severe migraines if I wore it more than 1/2 an hour. So I had to ride unprotected for a considerable amount of the time, although my friend did not care, as up in the freezing mountains, with the dust storm of construction vehicles flying in my face, she could tuck herself nicely behind me and keep warm, and she had a helmet, which was my main concern. That was the first few days, hard going, but excellent fun!

We eventually got onto some comfortable roads and I could start to take the scenery in as my eyes did not have to constantly observe the road directly ahead. It was an incredible experience riding through mountain/hill tribe communities, in their native, bright clothing. It was made even better by all the incredibly friendly children who would recognise us as Westerners from miles away and all stick their hands out for high fives and yell out 'Hello' to us. My friend was an incredible sport and put a smile on a few boys’ faces by blowing them kisses every now and then.

One of the best things about hiring a motorbike such as the Russian Minsk, is that it is what all the local Vietnamese themselves use out in the mountains. So when you do let the girl on the back have a go, and those trucks do come round the corner side by side, and you do go off into that ditch and smash the bike up, it only costs you $7 to fix it all up! If that girl on the back ever stumbles across this website, thanks for my favourite memories."

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Douglas and Stephanie Hackney, USA, in Bhutan and India

"The lone arrow streaking through the sky, almost impossible to see by the untrained eye, reflects the elusive and rare nature of a visit to the Kingdom of Bhutan. With fewer than 10,000 foreigners visiting the country per year, and only 55 motorcycle riders known to have toured the country prior to us, the tastes, culture, society and people of Bhutan are indeed singular and unique pleasures.

Typical road scene of Bhutan. Most roads are much rougher than this, but all share the two primary features illustrated here: a choice between a rock wall and a sheer drop for thousands of feet. Photo by Stephanie Hackney. Phuentsholing to Paro road, Bhutan.

The strength required to draw back and hold a bamboo bow reflects the iron will and strength of a nation and a king not afraid to stand up to the world’s largest institutions in order to protect their culture and values. Even though Bhutan is one of the world’s least developed nations, it has refused to go down the path of dependency that so many other developing nations have chosen.

Tiger's Lair monastery. We hiked up to this point, a climb of over 2,000 vertical feet. When this monastery was built, every stone, timber and item used in its construction was carried up the single track trails to the monastery's location by horse and person. Near Paro, Bhutan.

... The switchbacks in the tiny road were tight, and left little room for error. The road climbed steeply. A missed shift or a false neutral at an inopportune moment would be disastrous, as the choice between a rock wall or a sheer drop was not one I wanted to make. I beeped my horn to warn oncoming pedestrians or vehicles as we rounded yet another blind corner, the fog closing in tightly.

As we entered the 180 degree corner the motor chugged slowly, straining to pull us up the steep grade. Just then a huge bus swept into the corner at impossibly high speed. The driver’s eyes widened as he saw us dead center in the road.

My brain seized. Relying on instincts laid down over tens of thousands of riding miles I instinctively pulled in the clutch, shifted down with my left foot, jabbed the rear brakes with my right foot to tighten my line into the apex, dipped into the front brake to set the chassis and load the front tire for a hard left evasive maneuver, and rolled on the throttle to power out of this crisis in first gear.

That all would have worked perfectly on any one of our bikes, but not on this Enfield.

Because of the reversed foot controls on this ancient British design, I had managed to shift up into a higher gear, bring us to a near halt and drag down the engine to the edge of stalling. As the engine wheezed and made one last revolution, I realized my error and looked up.
The driver and I locked eyes.
We both knew the physics.

He had five tons of fully loaded bus headed our way, complete with bags, packages and people clinging to the top. It was a tiny one lane road in the mountains. There were no shoulders. He could drive it off the cliff and kill every one of his passengers to save us, but that didn’t make much sense considering the number of people he had aboard. The math wasn’t in our favor. His eyes said, ‘Sorry, but I have no choice.’

It was going to be up to me...

"One Up, three Down, I screamed at myself. I jerked in the clutch, pulled up repeatedly with my right foot, cracked open the throttle, dumped the clutch, pushed out with my left hand, rotated the bike over and made a dive for the left side of the road. The rock wall rushed up fast as the wake rocked us from the bus passing inches off our starboard rear quarter. I kept the throttle on, pushed down hard with my right hand, rotated the bike back over, tiptoed along the left edge of the pavement and curled back into the road around the rear corner of bus number 433.

I looked in my mirror, but the fog was already swallowing it, the dim glow of its tail lights already disappearing, like the burning eyes of a demon sliding into the depths of hell from whence it came. We motored on."

Mary Stuart, UK, to South America, in Panama and Colombia, BMW F650,

"I really wanted to arrive in Cartagena on the north coast of Colombia and work my way south but getting there from Panama city would mean hunting down a boat from Colon. I've since met a couple of overlanders who have done this.

Had my F650 serviced at the Panama City BMW by Luis, really enthusiastic mechanic who was happy to have me hang about and ask lots of pesky questions. Got my yellow fever jab, which was outside of the city, but easy to get to on the bike, however the clinic is only open a couple of times a week.

Decided on Girag to ship the bike, the cheapest and flexible. Set off Monday morning to their depot, which was a good ways from the passenger airport. They can fly it out that night and I got a flight as soon as I got to the main airport.

I liked Bogota, although it was dead when I arrived, a public holiday. Bike does not arrive when it should but Bogota office apologises and compensates me in cash. My hotel is in La Candelaria and has lots of character. Guess it had to happen sooner or later, I’m very deftly pick pocketed, tiny bit of cash but my American bank card has gone, so I'm going to get walloped at the ATM's with my British one.

I went to the Instituto Geographic to get a map and end up with a fine pull-out job of main highways, with gas stations and hotels marked, second only to a GPS, I also buy a big map for an overall view and to mark off all dodgey areas.

I remembered I needed insurance but can't find anyone to give me any! So I end up at the consulate who put me onto someone, costs me $80 for 1 year! Not much I can do about this one. I'm really struggling with my Spanish, shopping around is a nightmare, but I'm glad I got it as I've been asked to show it at the policia road blocks.

Rode north to San Gil which has a great park and river El Gallineral, my first river rafting experience, and also my first of many tastes of Colombian hospitality, After asking the way to my hotel I'm escorted by the local young bikers on their 125's.

The moto and their riders are held in high esteem in Colombia, you don't pay at tolls, the policia always very friendly. I was invited into the home of one and for a beer by another. Everyone wants to know how much the bike cost!

While I'm on the road in Colombia, I'm offered cool drinks, escorts to where I need to go and asked lots and lots of inquisitive questions about the bike and my journey, If you need something in Colombia people will go out of their way to help you.

At Popayan I met Jon on his Suzuki 650 and we join up for the border.

Highlights of this last leg were great rides through the Andes and El Virgen de Las Lajas a very ornate church built on a high bridge set in a beautiful canyon.

If I'm only going to write once about this trip it has to be about Colombia. I enjoyed it so much, so very beautiful, with great people, I was warmly, enthusiastically received everywhere I went. I made sure I knew where the trouble areas were and stayed on the main roads, was aware of riding late in the day; advice handed out by both locals and guidebooks.

I only hope the rest of South America compares as well, as it's been a brilliant start to this continent."

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News Items...

Canoe news reports: "Madrid, Spain (AP) - Knee-deep in red mush, tens of thousands of revellers pelted each other with tons of ripe tomatoes Wednesday in Spain's messiest summer party.

Police in the eastern village of Bunol -population 10,000 -said some 36,000 people waged the hour-long food fight, bathing themselves, the walls and streets with more than 125 tonnes of fruit projectiles.

Some warriors were shown on television literally swimming in the fresh tomato puree, only their heads peeking out of the sea of red pulp.

It all started with a pistol shot at high noon, after which six trucks unloaded fruit ammunition for Spaniards and tourists from as far away as Japan who had gathered for two hours to paste each other in the decades-old battle called, 'La Tomatina.'

Residents preferring to watch from balconies -but get their licks in, too -poured water on the crowd. Town hall set up 500 makeshift showers for the revellers to clean up. Others bathed in a river."

Also from Canoe news: "Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AP) - A Malaysian woman who's trying to reclaim a world record by living in a locked glass box with more than 6,000 scorpions has been stung once, has a fever and scarcely sleeps because the creatures keep crawling over her.

Nur Malena Hassan, 27, said Wednesday she has a '50/50 chance' of reaching her target of being cooped up with the poisonous arachnids for 36 consecutive days to set a new record for the longest stay in a room full of scorpions.

"I'm feeling so much tension," Nur Malena told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from the specially built glass room that she moved into Saturday in a shopping mall in Kuantan, a city about 350 kilometres northeast of Kuala Lumpur.

"Nighttime is the worst," she said. "I can only sleep two or three hours, since scorpions get so active at night. But I want to show that Malaysians are capable of world-class efforts."

Nur Malena said she has a mild fever after being stung on her face Sunday. But scorpions rarely sting unless they're disturbed, so she remains cautious while moving within the room, which measures about 3.6 metres by 3 metres in length.

Thousands of Malaysians have visited the mall to observe Nur Malena in the room, which she leaves just once a day for a 15-minute bathroom break under self-imposed rules. She sleeps, eats and performs Muslim prayers in the room.

Boredom sometimes sets in, but Nur Malena keeps entertained by watching DVDs on a TV set. Her favourite movie right now: the superhero thriller Spider-Man.

Malaysians have displayed a growing penchant in recent years for offbeat records -such as the highest backward climb up a staircase and the largest number of old people at a circus."

Motorcycle News

Herbert Schwarz from Touratech writes on the HUBB:

"Andreas Hülsmann and Joerg have finished the Canning Stock Route today. They arrived at Billiluna and they want to reach Halls-Creec tomorrow (on tuesday the 20th) at about 12 am. If there is anybody in Halls-Creek please send them greetings from the Touratech team and that we are very proud that they have done it without a service vehicle. There have not been a lot of other motorcyclists that have done it before. We will post some pictures very soon. Best regards, Herbert"

IMC St. Petersburg reports that Ewan McGregor, 'the famous traveler', has a close encounter with the fauna in Kazakhstan, causing consternation to his handlers,

"Ewan made up his mind to experience the utmost romance and sleep in a double tent right in the middle of the Kazakh steppe. While the decision confused the English organizers' plans, no one dared contradict the stars. That's how the Jedi appeared face to face with the creatures, which were unaware of the world popularity of their victim or traditional Kazakh hospitality.

In the morning the famous traveler woke up with a substantial swelling on the reddish forehead. The people in charge of McGregor's safety were really anxious and searched thru the whole tent trying to find the blood-sucker, but not a trace of it was found, of course.

The team's doctor made calls to the British and American Toxicology Centers to get a detailed consultation. The English toxicologists requested special charts of the natural habitats of blood-sucking and stinging insects of Kazakhstan, which were provided immediately by their colleagues from Kazakhstan.

When the British found out that McGregor got stung by an unknown insect living in the habitat of the encephalitic tick (which is considered to be one of the most dangerous insects, since the antidotes available for it are less than effective), the project appeared to be under the threat of failure. The foreign toxicologists didn't wish to make default conclusions and recommended McGregor to arrive urgently for a thorough medical examination.

However by that time McGregor was on his way to entering Turkestan, and he was examined by the Kazakh doctors. According to the doctors from South Kazakhstan, the very fact that McGregor was able to get up and then ride for hundreds of kilometers proved that an encephalitic tick bite could be excluded.

Ewan McGregor went through the incident calmly, as he reasoned that he'd already been bitten by various parasites."

Shorts...

Patrick and Belinda Peck, Australia, RTW, in Portugal and Morocco, Yamaha Tenere,

"We really loved Portugal, such a small country packed with so many treasures, we would recommend it to anyone. Similar in cost to Spain, we spent max €35/day on accommodation in bed and breakfast type private homes, €25/day on food. Fuel in Spain is €.90/litre, in Portugal €1.05. July hasn’t been extremely busy with tourists, the locals are complaining that since the €uro came into Portugal, tourism has become expensive and therefore decreased. The Portuguese are extremely friendly, but shy, compared to the Spanish.

Patrick and steed in Morocco

We entered via the south through Tavira and onto Lagos which had great beaches and rocky outcrops, similar to sections of the Great Ocean Road in Australia. The beauty and the weather of this area are a real draw card for the English and they were there in the droves- we can’t blame them, it was beautiful.

Neither horses nor camels can match an iron horse!

We then headed north and inland to a beautiful walled town called Monsaraz, high above the plains with a wonderful medieval atmosphere. This mountainous area is dotted with fortresses, walled cities with cobbled streets, clean air and good panoramas. All castles seem to be within eyesight of each other, perhaps for protection and communication many centuries ago."

Ed. See Patrick and Belinda's blog here on Horizons Unlimited.

Erik and Hanka Forkert , Germany, around the world, Honda Transalp,

"We arrived safely in East-Timor on Saturday. From the plane we could see green mountains and nice beaches, which we can hopefully discover by bike soon. We recovered from our first cultural shock already, as we witnessed a cockfight the very first day! The people here are very friendly and everything is peaceful. There are some UN helpers left, but we could rarely see any scares from the troubles 5 years ago.

...We are back on the road and enjoy the riding and the wind in our faces again. We also received our Indonesian visas in time, so we could cross the border to Timor on the 19th August. Unfortunately Hanka’s birthday wasn't quite as nice for that reason - we will definitely catch up on it. Thank you so much for all the congratulations and good wishes, which she enjoyed reading today.

At the moment we are in Maumere, on a very lovely island called Flores. Yet, the Honda already has itchy tyres, because Erik’s Mom and her partner Karli will arrive to Bali next Monday, which keeps us all excited! Finally our bike will get some new tyres, which are part of their luggage :-) Hanka & Erik"

Paul and Zoe Jenkins, UK to South Africa and back again, in Morocco, Honda Transalps,

"Spain have managed to hold on to the very tip of the African continent and so you have to ride for a bout 3kms before you reach the Moroccan border, where you are helpfully stripped of all your cash by officials who sign, different officials who stamp and generally helpful people who require payment for their helpfulness! After an hour of stamping, signing and paying we crossed the border (much lighter!) and made our way south to Chefchouan.

The campsite in Chefchouan is halfway up a mountain overlooking the town and many of the residents looked like them and their tie dyed sarongs had been there since the 60's! It was very relaxed (which may have something to do with the local horticulture being smoked!) and we stayed for a couple of days. Paul and I spent most of the first morning looking for the old town (Medina). The Medina has a myriad of tiny alleyways painted in a beautiful blue colour and in the centre is a Kasbah and Mosque and lots of cafes, the perfect place for a bit of people watching!

Travelling further South towards the Sahara the scenery changes to what you would expect, massive expanses of sand and rocky outcrops... beautiful. We stopped off near Midelt to do some off-roading. It was marked on the map as a difficult track, but we were feeling confident and it was only 70kms, so we thought it would be a nice morning ride. 7 hours later after risking life and limb on rocky mountain passes, walking the bikes down scree slopes and being rained on, we made it back to our campsite exhausted!"

Ed. See Paul and Zoe's blog, here on Horizons Unlimited!

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Heiko Neumann, Germany, Europe/North America 2003-2004, in Alaska, BMW R1150GS,

"The ride from Anchorage to Fairbanks, some 600 km, was not too much fun: the air was filled with the smoke from numerous wildfires in Alaska and north-western Canada. - Mount McKinley (highest mountain in North America) was completely hidden by the smoke.

There was conflicting information as to whether the Dalton Highway (the haul road to Prudhoe Bay) was open. At the visitors center in Fairbanks they gave the thumbs up. However, there would be a lot of smoke for most of the 800 kilometres but otherwise it should be okay.

The next day began with rain, which added to the dismal atmosphere created by the smoke. I had to cover some 380 kilometres that day, and somehow it did not look as of this would be a fun ride. However, it started out all right. Despite the rain and the smoke I managed to cover some ground. At the center of the Brooks Range, near Atikun Pass conditions became dramatic. There was heavy traffic (trucks passing you at 60 plus mile per hour, and the dust they raised) in combination with the smoke lead to zero visibility. My only option was to stop and way until the dust had settled.

But after a while, the gravel seemed to have lost its dread - I thought. Cruising along at a moderate speed, the bike had grip and even the somewhat thicker gravel sections were cleared without a problem.

Not intended as a gesture of sympathy with Deadhorse

That was until I was within reach of Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay. Just 40 kilometres to go and there seemed time to look around. Well, wrong. The minute I did that, I hit a section of deep gravel. The bike veered violently. Unable to control this (I did not want to brake hard), the emergency exit was down the shoulders of the road and into the tundra..."

Ed. See Heiko's blog here on Horizons Unlimited.

Chris Bright, UK, in India, Royal Enfield,

"While driving up to Daramsala there were a truck and a minibus ahead of me. As I pull out to overtake the minibus, this bus decides he is overtaking the truck. I end up in the dirt on the wrong side of the road. No problem really, except there are two big baskets of oranges that somebody is selling to passing motorists. Or rather ‘was selling’. I'm sure it was quite spectacular as a spectator to see the oranges flying everywhere. A bit James Bondesque I believe. I was concentrating on not falling off... Afraid I didn't stop to admire my handiwork either.

Indian drivers are certifiably the worst in the world: Much worse than anything Peru, Brazil, USA or Kenya has to offer. But the Jammu to Srinagar road tops it. I gave up counting the time I'm coming down a hill round a corner and imagine my surprise to have 2 big buses or trucks next to each other coming towards me. There's a cliff up one side and a hundreds of feet drop on the other. Stopping doesn't help. One bus/truck will still run into you as the road ain't too wide.

There are soldiers with guns everywhere. Sandbags, gun emplacements even outside my hotel. While driving about 50km south of Srinagar, there's a traffic jam. I ask a couple of blokes in a bus what's happened.

The reply: ‘There has been an encounter.’

I tried to correct his English with the clarification of encounter being accident.

‘What, you mean a collision? 2 trucks have collided?’

He doesn't concur. He says the army have just shot dead a militant, next to the road.

Fine, I said and legged it for the next 150km without stopping and avoiding eye contact with anybody on the side of the road."

Ed. See Chris Bright's RTW story here on Horizons Unlimited!

Jeff Nicholls, Canada, Canada / USA loop, Harley-Davidson,

"I continue on the Trans Canada Highway through Revelstoke, Sicamous, Salmon Arm, Kamloops and Cache Creek. It is at this point that I take highway #99, a very scenic, mountainous 2 lane road through amazing country. I pass through Pavillion and then a town called Lillooet. It is here that I encounter massive forest fires, the temperature begins to really climb and it gets quite hazy with smoke. I can now see the sky lit up in a orange ball of fire around the other side of the mountain, right where the road leads to...in the daylight! About this time I start to feel a little queasy, I have not made enough water stops today and i am dehydrated, the air is so hot and I am suddenly thinking, "Oh shit, If I faint now I am going to wreck this new motorcycle way out here in the middle of nowhere." So, I stop for awhile and drink my nearly hot water and find some shade, watch the fires and listen to the water bombers & helicopters battling the forest fires.

I continue on but still feel like I could faint at any minute, really lightheaded. I stop along the way for photos of the fires, stop on bridges to catch the cold breeze from the waterfalls, anything to cool down some."

Ed. Great photos on Jeff's blog here on Horizons Unlimited!

Norm Ness, Canada, to Panama, Honda VTX1800,

"The plan here was to ride the 3 hours straight through Honduras, and try for San Jose, El Salvador.

The border at Honduras was something else... total disorganization....different ramshackle buildings with no markings...that houses the customs, immigration, insurance, security, and the ever present fumigation people.

I was instantly besieged by at least a dozen kids, shouting in Spanish and waving hand made, plastic laminated ID's in my face, essentially saying that they will facilitate my passage through the 'system'.

One kid looked pretty sharp, and spoke some english, so I 'hired' him.

For the next 2 hours he literally took me by the hand, saying, 'Norman, sign here, go there, come here, $10USD please, now Norman go there and get a stamp put here, now Norman, give me your passport and drivers licence and registration and $25USD, and wait here.......'. At this point I said; 'No Way', to which he responded, 'OK, Norman, my brother will watch your bike and you come with me.'

He seemed to know even more than the 'officials' about what forms to fill out, and how, and where to place the never ending series of stamps.

Finally $75USD, and 2 hours later I was out travelling down the beautiful roads of Honduras, on my way to EL Salvador."

Ed. Read Norm's blog here on Horizons Unlimited!

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Mauro Iacona, in Egypt and Jordan,

"My last mail was from Egypt, somewhere in Aswan or Luxor. Well, from there I drove to Hurghada, which I did not like at all and my bike was seized by the police for three days. To release it took me three days with more than 15 visits to different police stations in Hurghada. If any of you need any help with the police there, let me know. I know them all.

After this experience I took a ferry to Sinai – Sharm el Sheik, where I did not stop but drove on to Dahab, where I enjoyed the beach for several days. Then I headed to Cairo for my Syrian and Jordan visas. I found Cairo very interesting and less chaotic than I remembered it, four pleasant days, visiting the Pyramids, the museum, and of course, the markets.

From here I went back to Sinai to see Mount Sinai where Moses received the Tablets and where God spoke to him. The view is amazing but the climb can be hard.

I then drove north from Dahab towards the Israeli border, where I met a friend of mine and had a great time there. The beach was amazing and you could see the sea and beyond, Saudi Arabia. I am in the Middle East and have left Africa. What a feeling—and what a difference in cultures and people...

This journey is really a life time experience, I learn something new everyday, you face situations that you never thought you would find yourself in, and it changes your perspective of life .... I am a very happy traveler ... and wish never to wake up from this dream ...."

Richard Parkinson and Lisa Godfery, New Zealand, UK to NZ, in Malaysia, Yamaha TDM850,

"This month we celebrate one year on the road, 37,000 miles traveled and 20 countries visited.

We crossed into Malaysia on a late Friday afternoon and the road changed from a busy Thai two lane road to a well surfaced 6 lane motorway that rapidly carried us south. It came as a pleasant surprise to find Malaysia has their priorities right and allow motorcycles to travel for free on their toll motorway, unlike Thailand where we were not allowed to use them at all.

Melaka Chinatown temple dudes

The downside of this motorway travel is that it whisked us through beautiful countryside and sped us past interesting looking towns without us being able to stop and enjoy them. It did however enable us to get to the island of Penang on our first evening in the country although we broke our golden rule of not travelling night.

Rich tries out a blowpipe

We crossed the very long bridge from the mainland (our guidebook says 13.5 kilometers but we reckon about 9) during rush hour traffic. Cars moved over to create a motorbike lane on the left side that we were too wide for so we crawled with the cars. Our first impressions of Penang were not the best; very busy streets in Georgetown, scanky hotels and rats the size of family pets frequently seen in the gutters, even in broad daylight. A further look around the island revealed some of the treasures on offer, snakes that hang out in a temple, hundreds of butterflies, some beautiful beaches as well as the gorgeous Indian, Chinese and British colonial architecture in Georgetown."

Ed. See Richard and Lisa's blog here on Horizons Unlimited!

Rene Cormier, Canada, and Amy Bruning, USA, around the world, in Peru, F650GS's,

"Well, here we sit in Chachapoyas. It has been almost a week and a half since Amy's bike broke. The bike gods smiled on us a bit, though, as fellow F650 rider Dan Walsh that we met over curry in Quito is in NYC for a quick visit and has kindly offered to mule the parts to us here. Bringing parts into a south american country using the mail system or courier from anywhere else is a bit of a nightmare and obscenely expensive, even more so if one doesn't speak Spanish fluently.

We moved into the classroom of a local english school with the manager Fidel, and his grandmother. The move was to both save money and also have something to do. I teach three teenage girls english from 8:15pm to 9:15pm Monday to Friday in exchange for a mattress in the classroom. The biggest difficulty with the arrangement is that during the week there are classes most evenings, so we cannot drag our mattress out until all the classes are done, which is usually about 10:30pm - way past our normal bedtime. So far I have resisted teaching the girls any bad words."

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Daniel Toader, USA, in Russia and Mongolia,

"I just completed the road from Khabarovsk to Chita (in Chita at the moment). The road is mostly gravel and hard pack dirt, but the dirt can change into mud when it rains like it did for me. A couple of sandy sections (they laid sand instead of gravel for some sections), and like Pete said, some of the detours are sort of like motocross tracks. I even got some air on some of the bridge jumps. Fun stuff.

Petrol is no problem but I did have to use 80 octane once as 2 gas stations in a row were out of 92 (which is the norm here).

Time requirements will vary on your mode of transport. It is 2000 km between Khabarovsk and Chita and it took me 4.5 days on my KTM 640 Adventure. If I would have taken less breaks, rests, and had less conversations with people, I imagine it can be done in less, but why?

Plenty of roadside eateries, and camping is no problem. I camped on 3 of the nights. There are small villages along the Trans-Siberian Highway and if you ask around for a ‘gostinitsa’ you'll be pointed to somebody's house that doubles as the local hotel. Around $5-$7/night, but don't expect much more than a bed and a decent meal. As the Lonely Planet puts it ‘...the only stars you'll see are the ones on the way to the latrine...’

I just did an east-west crossing of Mongolia and crossed at the new NW border (Tsaaganuur/Tashanta) and traveled alone with no GPS. Just map and compass. It works well enough. Only got lost for a day and a half in the Gobi. Carry extra water if you go there. Good luck!"

Vincent Danna, France, around the world, in Thailand, BMW R100GS,

"Have to stop the journey here in Bangkok :-( money problems and I lost some motivation, after almost two and half years and 70 000 kms. The bike is broken again, second or third time for the gearbox, final drive and shaft damaged. A welcome in Paris if you're there. Thanx to all, especially Grant and Susan :-).Vincent Danna"

James Mader, South Africa, in Sudan, Yamaha XT600, confesses his sins on the HUBB:

"Normally I would be far too ashamed to admit to this, however I think perhaps in a karmic sense my confession will be cathartic and absolve me of my 'sin'.

I am now in Khartoum, nearly at the end of my Cape to Cairo trip. I got here, with my dear old 34L from near the Ethiopia border on the back of a truck...

Just after the border I heard the type of sound that bikers wake up to in a sweat, relieved that it was just a bad dream. I thought my bike was dead. 3 days later in Khartoum I tentatively opened the clutch cover to find the cause of the sound: I had put the final drive gear on backwards, back in Cape Town some 16,000km ago! The bike has been running on the 2mm of teeth that were actually engaged and only now did the poor beast give in. I have rectified the problem and it is now running beautifully.

I am well impressed with the bike and absolutely ashamed with myself. Of course I am busy formulating a heroic excuse for the folks back home..."

Henri Bergius, Finland, around the Black Sea, Triumph Legend TT,

"Greetings! I'm going around the Black Sea with my Triumph Legend TT. Now in Sochi, Russia and tomorrow headed for Georgia. I'm maintaining a travel journal via SMS."

Leaving St. Petersburg

Story Leavesley, USA, RTW, winds up in Germany instead of Istanbul, BMW R100GSPD,

"Last time I checked in the bike and I were headed to Istanbul. I look around now and find that I'm in Frankfurt. How did that happen?!

After returning from the Himalayas I contacted my shipping agent and got started on finalizing the shipping of the bike to Istanbul. It sounded like my agent was on top of things and he assured me that there would be no problems. Of course it didn't work out that easily!

I got a call from the agent about 36 hours before I was scheduled to get on my plane to Istanbul. He could not find any airlines that would accept the crated bike because it was classified as dangerous goods. This news started us scrambling to find an airline that would fly the bike. I personally researched and called several airlines trying to find one that would work. That day was the most unpleasant of my entire trip as I was quite stressed about what would happen with the bike, my airplane ticket, etc.

I finally found that Lufthansa would fly the bike, but they only fly direct to Frankfurt. No one else would even take the bike, so I decided to send the bike to Frankfurt. We made this decision at 5 PM - about 11 hours before I was to get on the plane to Istanbul! We scrambled madly to get the bike to the Lufthansa warehouse at the airport and get all the paperwork done. And it all had to be completed before the warehouse closed at 8PM! I didn't think it was all going to happen, but we got the bike there and I had the air bill and stamped carnet by 11 PM that evening. I got dropped off at the airport at midnight and was on my plane to Istanbul at 4 AM. Talk about cutting it close!

I could not have accomplished all the bike arrangements without the help of Harvey and Lisa. They are a British couple that has also done some overland motorcycle traveling. They are currently living and working in Delhi and they offered me a bed in their apartment for a couple of days to get away from the madness of Delhi. It was a nice change to be in a quiet apartment for a few days. But while I was staying with them these shipping problems started, and Harvey and Lisa went way out their way to help me get things straightened out by offering me the use of their phone, internet access, and even their car with driver! Thanks guys - you really saved me. Please visit me in Colorado after I get home and let me repay your kindness.

After finalizing shipping of the bike to Frankfurt there was the next complication. I had a ticket to Istanbul since that's where the bike was originally going. I found that I could not exchange or change my ticket so I was either going to fly to Istanbul or lose the ticket. Because the bike arrangements weren't accomplished until so late, I had no time to do anything about my plane ticket or to purchase another ticket to Frankfurt. So I decided to fly to Istanbul and then get a ticket from there on to Frankfurt. I didn't know how much a ticket from Istanbul to Frankfurt would cost, but I figured it would be less than a ticket from Delhi to Frankfurt. Plus I already had the ticket to Istanbul and I had a few free days while the bike was in transit, so why not enjoy Istanbul. So I was off to Istanbul while the bike was headed to Frankfurt. Not a reassuring feeling!"

Ed. The best laid plans ...

William (Nick) Palmer, USA, Europe and Russia, BMW R80G/S,

"Russian Border to Moscow, Russia = total 637k. Gasoline in Russia 1.87 USD per gallon. Arrived late afternoon on Sunday, the 18th, to the most pleasant home of Mark and Laura Stiles.

Moscow, 19 July 2004: A change in travel plans - from riding east to Vladivostok to riding west.

Concerns that became apparent after crossing into Russia:
The difficulty in keeping required Russian documentation updated.
Communicating clearly with Russian officials.

The trip will now turn to Scandinavia arriving back in North Carolina late summer."

Torria Sakumoto, USA, in Alaska

"I'm in Fairbanks, AK and wanted to say Hi! I've just rode the Alaska Highway from Seattle through Dawson Creek, BC to Fairbanks. Currently in Denali Nat'l Park heading to Anchorage. Contacted Anchorage community to possibly sync up with HU member. Lots of rain, mud and construction dust but my spirits are not dampened. Have seen lots of beautiful scenery and wildlife. Met some interesting folks as well. Don't know if I'm going to do Prudhoe Bay on my return...stay tuned. Torria"

Ed. comment: Torria's next stop is the HU Meeting in Revelstoke, and then on to the Meeting in Copper Canyon,and points south... :)

Johan and Charmaine Claasens, South Africa, Cape Town to London, 1150GS,

"We left Cape Town 13th July, went through the flat Karoo and crossed Verneukpan, where Campbell had his world speed record attempt back in 1920 something. Very flat! At Biker’s Church in Midrand we joined 2 other bikes to Mutare Bike Show in Zimbabwe. There we met up with Simon Milward on his RTW home built bike. He is a very pleasant person.

From Mutare we went down to Beira where we had the best prawns we have ever tasted. Quelimane has got 1000ds of mosquitoes and at Zalala Beach (where the only camp site is) is one of the flattest and widest beaches we’ve ever seen.

Then we went north once more and visited Ilha Da Mozambique, an island that was built by the Portuguese in the 15th century. Sadly it is in very bad shape and dirty as the locals use the beach as their toilet and the street as a dump yard. We stayed at a very nice camp site (Bay Diving) north of Nacala. We turned back towards Malawi because the Ruvumba river ferry (to Tanzania) was broken and the road conditions got very bad.

We are staying with friends here and will be here for 2 or maybe more months before we go north to Tanzania again. Malawi is a beautiful country with very friendly and polite people. We went with our friends to the Zomba plateau, wow rain forest vegetation and extremely pretty! There are a camp site at the trout farm, if you are in the area, do not pass by without going onto this mountain. Happy riding and we will see you somewhere between here and there."

Pierre Saslawsky, France, and Merritt Grooms, USA, RTW, in Chile, BMW F650's,

"Even in the most wonderful scenery, Merritt and I are starting to show some fatigue. The first sign is that we need to feel at home everywhere we stop. We unpack our entire belongings, we cook, we buy candles and flowers. We start having dreams of buying a small ranch to grow kids and ride horses.

The area of Chile along the dirt road called 'Carretera Austral' is one of the most remote places in the country. The road was completed 5 to 10 years ago; it slaloms up, down, across and around one of the most tortuous landscapes on Earth. Looking at a satellite picture, you can see how ragged is the coast line. Everywhere mountains, fjords, islands, lakes and rivers. Before the road existed, people had to travel by boat or by horse, and only in summer. Still nowadays, the road doesn't connect with the rest of the country: you have to take the boat to the mainland, or cross mountain passes through the Andes to reach Argentina. Without surprise, it is also the area in Chile where people are the most welcoming.

As we ride North through Argentina then back into Chile in the Lake District and the Central Valley, we see more and more the results of years of conservative economic policies with everything geared towards consumerism. Chile is too modern for us. We grow more exhausted and, in retrospective, we end up staying much longer in places that we should have just driven through. (To reassure you, I'm writing these lines from Bolivia where, for more than a month, the beauty and the richness of both the country and its people really pumped up our energy to continue traveling for quite a while)."

Seen on the road...

by Glen Heggstad, in Mongolia,

Unknown Australian travelers in Mongolia

Ed. Glen didn't get their names unfortunately. Please try to get people's names and contact details so they can become part of the HU Community!

by Gail and Eric Haws, USA, in Argentina and Uruguay, BMW R100GS,

"After returning home (from the National BMW rally in Spokane) we had the rally for Tom Hunter, a friend of Ricardo, who is going to South America on his BMW moto. We hope he has a good time and a safe journey. Since we had not been to Alaska this year, there was no fish head soup, instead Beer Can Chicken was served, which is not usual fare for this part of the country. Also, blackberry/cranberry pies by chef Joanne.

The new BMW shop was opening in Eugene the same weekend so we did a tour of it receiving our free T- shirt and lunch. Breakfast the next morning was on the skimpy side as during the night a bear came into the orchard, broke down the large plum tree, and ate all our breakfast. So we had gruel. If you attend our rally next year be certain to bring your bear proof tent.

The door prize, a K.A.T., was won by K & M. who came in a BMW auto, but K. did a superb job of carving the Beer Can chicken. Runner up was K.S. who came on a Buell claiming it was a motorcycle. See you next year. Eric and Gail"

Ed. comment: Sorry we missed the rally - Beer Can Chicken does sound intriguing!

by Grant Johnson, in Vancouver

Uwe Krauss and Ramona Eichorn wrote to the HU Vancouver Community: "Hi there, we are couple from Germany traveling since 3 years on KTMs. Probably on friday the 20th we will enter Canada from Seattle. At the moment we have too much stuff with us, so could we store some at your place while traveling around BC. We will also go to the HU meeting. And it would be nice to meet you anyway, if you have the time. Thanks Uwe & Ramona"

Susan: Uwe & Ramona did end up staying with Grant for a few days, and as usual with travellers who visit HU headquarters, Uwe got put to work doing hard physical labor helping Grant finish building a shed in the backyard while Ramona cooked up some wonderful meals for the labourers, before they all head to Revelstoke this week.

Leaving soon, or just left...

Peter and Kay Forwood, Australia, around the world since 1996, leaving again after a 9 month break in Australia, on a Harley-Davidson,

"We have been back in Australia for the last nine months. Apart from visiting and catching up with many old friends and relatives we have managed to do a loop of our home country by motorcycle, seemingly fitting as we had seen more of the world from the back of the motorcycle than we had of Australia. The place has changed since our loop of the country in 1987, in a small bus and caravan, educating our three young children as we travelled for 18 months. It was a great reacquaintance with where Australia was now. I guess the biggest change has been in the ‘progress’ of the country. Where no roads were, we now have dirt roads, and where dirt roads were we now often have asphalt roads. The number of people travelling has greatly increased, both international backpackers and Australian retirees the most obvious. Most of Australia’s animals, kangaroos, koala, emu and echidna can be spotted easily in the wild, outside national parks. The national park system has expanded, its facilities improved and wildlife is even more visible than we remembered. We avoided cities, preferring the quiet solitude of regional towns and outback properties.

Although we revisited many places we had previously visited, there was a preference to seek out new places and different experiences. We attended a few motorcycle rallies, in Tasmania, Victoria, Central NSW and Queensland. Coincidentally meeting up with two other independent motorcycle travellers in the remote North West of Australia had us travelling together in a difficult region for a couple of weeks, sharing experiences. There are still plenty of challenges in Australia for off-road riding, some we took, like building a snorkel for the motorcycle's air intake to be able to ride through 50cm deep water on the 4X4 track into the Bungle Bungles in Western Australia. Other challenges we didn't take as many roads were still closed following one of the best wet seasons in the North West of Australia, causing many roads to still be closed even to 4X4 vehicles.

The trip home seems to have been a little hurried, somehow we always seem to overfill trips. Planning is now underway for the next section, leaving Australia this September via Darwin for East Timor, onto Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines and Japan over the following six months. We have been to some of these countries before, reminiscing this time, others will be our first visit. The motorcycle is getting tired, and will clock up its 400,000th km before our departure from Australia. The engine will need rebuilding for the second time soon, probably in Japan.

Photos are now updated as we travel, the advent of a digital camera. They are also better, not that we have become better photographers, we are just taking more and have more to choose from."

Ed. Horizons Unlimited is proud to host Peter and Kay's complete story and pictures here!

Simon Fitzpatrick, UK, London to Cape Town, Honda Dominator,

"Here's the basic plan...

March 04: Give up job. Borrow money from mortgage people. Done that. Oh yeah - remember to pass bike test. And buy a bike.

Sept 12th 04: Ferry Portsmouth-Cherbourg. Potter across France and a bit of North Spain and head for Lisbon, to meet some pals for a week of sunny lager action at the end of Sept. Widdle about in Portugal & southern Spain for a bit, aiming for Gibraltar. Buy Marmite and PG Tips.

Ferry Spain-Morocco. Muck about there for p'raps a month. Head south through Mauritania. Sand ahoy.

December 04: Senegal. Meet a different pal for a week, spend Xmas in Dakar or the Gambia.

Jan 05 to April/May: Mali, heading towards Ghana where lager and beaches are the watchword. Apparently. Then on to (probably) Cameroon, and if things are a bit dicey in the war department in the Congo area, attempt to air-freight self and bike to either Uganda or Kenya. So, these two countries around June-ish.

July/Aug 05: Tanzania featuring Zanzibar.

Dawdling southwards, aiming for Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana, maybe Namibia, eventually South Africa for Dec 05, Xmas in Cape Town, where in theory various relatives will come and meet.

Jan 1st 2006: Scratch head and wonder what to do with rest of life.

These plans are flattered by the description 'loose'. Frankly if I make it to Portsmouth in time for the 11.15 Cherbourg ferry I'll be pleased as punch.

This is me (right) and Aust, my lovely pal who scarpered to New Zealand, successfully, and may thus have played an inspirational role in my current 'flush-life-down-crapper-and-see-what-happens' scheme.

Further thanks must go to Mr Jeffrey MacPherson of Vancouver, or "the 'Couv" as it's known to residents, a large town in a country called Canadia. He was kind enough to get so drunk with me in a selection of Cologne's most happening bars, that we struck on the idea of sailing a hot air balloon across Africa, with two motorcycles strapped to the side. Voila! 9 months later and fantasy has become reality. Except for the balloon. And Jeff..."

Ed. Follow Simon's adventures in his blog, here on Horizons Unlimited!

Numerous travellers heading to Central Asia in September 2004, including Lodewijk Cornelis from Luxembourg, and Aussie Sean Howmans,

"Anyone in for crossing Iran to Turkmenistan and further through all 'the stans'? Visit me on www.silk-on-the-road.com ". Lodewijk

"Yep, I'm in. I'll be there early to mid September." Sean Howmans

Ed. More info on the HUBB post.

Richard and Chris Stone, UK, London to Kathmandu in 3 months, in Turkey, R100 RT and R100 GS PD,

"I had a haircut the other day in a Turkish 'Berber' - communication is generally mimed, I have the ability to count to 6 in Turkish, ask how much and say hello and good bye - not yet Poet Laureate material... So I mime to this barber that I want it short, he gets a glint in his eye... Maybe I am the first foreigner he has tortured for a while, or even ever - he sets to with a vengeance, Turkish guys get their money’s worth here, forget Edward Scissor Hands here we have Mustafah Snip.

After 40mins there is not a hair that he has not done, and done perfectly and immaculately too - it's a pity I will be putting a smelly bike helmet back on top afterwards - he has trimmed, snipped, singed with a naked flame, shaved, and plucked - nasal hair, ear growths, neck, tash, everything. Rubbed on powders, combed in lotions, massaged till my eyes fell out.

Then he stands there with a cut throat razor in his hand, looks me in the eye and asks ‘Do you want your scrotum shaved sir?’ ... Well it could have been what he said, there is nothing else visible that has not been violated... one pound fifty on the table and I am out of there! - but I do look cute! (hi Jan)"

Ed. See Richard and Chris Stone's blog here on Horizons Unlimited!

Dave Smith, RTW, Ducati 250cc,

"I won't be at Copper Canyon. My attempt at rtw starts Oct. 12th. 1962? Ducati 250cc. I'll be working my way round because I'm broke. Should take 4 years or so. Dave"

Gregory Frazier, USA, heading around the world again, is inspired by Ewan McGregor’s trip preparation

"The English boys had hired personal trainers, worked with a nutritionist and consulted with a former SAS member on survival skills.

I decided to get with my specialists and see if I could do a world ride the right way. I went to my favorite workout place to begin a stern regimen of physical preparation. As I was working with my personal trainer (Smitty), he recommended I alternate lifting beers from left to right hands, thereby strengthening both arms at one sitting. He also suggested longer workouts, which he said, would be good to toughen my buttocks for those long days sitting on my motorcycle. He then poured me two drafts and yelled across the bar for his nutritionist to come over. Her name is Angel. She took a break and after listening to my funk of wonderment and plight, gave me the following nutritional advice. ‘Order a salad once in a while with your pizza and beer. It’ll make you more regular.’

A tattooed patron had overheard parts of my training program and slid down the bar to help with the survival skills session. He drew on his extensive experiences in Southeast Asia and biker bars. His summary was, ‘Don’t screw around with any of that Asian hand-to-hand combat stuff. Kick ‘em hard, hit ‘em quick, and go for their plumbing. That Steven Segal stuff is for TV. When they’re down, keep ‘em down with a barstool. Don’t be afraid to give ‘em the boots.’

So went my preparation for a ‘long hard ride,’ this one to the top of North America, then the bottom of South America, across the Atlantic, then from the bottom of Africa to the top of Europe. To make it a little more difficult I am going to add another 125 pounds to the back of my motorcycle in the form of a pillion, and all their additional survival gear."

Ed. Gee, Greg, sounds like the reverse of our last trip, including a pillion (though yours is obviously much skinnier than the one Grant hauled through Africa and South America) – piece of cake!

Home again...

Apparently no one has finished up trips and sitting home pining to travel again! Or if they have, they didn't want to admit it to us ;-)

Support the Horizons Unlimited E-zine - check out the HU Souk for jumpers / pullovers, t-shirts, hats and other products with the new logo and a variety of slogans!

Thanks! Grant and Susan

Whatever happened to...

Simon McCarthy and Georgie Simmonds, UK to Asia, BMW R100GS and Enfield,

"Being back in the UK and in a work situation made us face one side-effect of travelling. We had become adept at discussing simple concepts in simple language; perfect for feeding ourselves and conversing with locals. But back home we were expected to discuss complex ideas using elegant language, but it seemed that our intellects had seized up through lack of exercise. It took months to get back up to a reasonable speed of articulation again.

The ‘five months off’ allowed us time to get back to some level of normality. We finally paid the customs duty for the Enfield and got it tested and registered for the UK. We organised the 5,000 photos from the trip and learned how to deal with recruitment agencies via the Internet. The BMW got some much needed love and care, but almost a year after returning home, I was still finding areas covered in brick-red Cambodian dust.

So it was time to plan into our next adventure. People would constantly ask us 'so where / when are you going next?' We had toyed with the idea of riding down to Morocco during our first winter at home, or possibly to visit the Timbuktu music festival the following winter. But a few weekends away on the bikes proved that the wanderlust had been fulfilled, and that the decision to take a break from serious biking was well founded. Hearing presentations of ‘the joys of life on the road’ from other bikers at rallies did nurture tender shoots of enthusiasm for another trip, but these soon withered when faced with the energy that would be required to make the trip. No, the new big adventure seemed to be to follow our real desire and to get married and settle down.

So we bought two cats and made plans for our wedding. And at the time of writing this part, we have been married for 2 days, pretty much to the minute. Two days ago we gathered our families and few friends together in the English Lake District. I wore a light suit and a pink tie that coordinated with the trim on Georgie’s long slim dress. We swore our love to each other, laughed at the line in the ceremony about ‘...wherever our marriage takes us...', cut a cake with a model of us on the BMW and danced on a boat sailing up and down Lake Windermere.

And that’s where our Big Trip ends and another long, probably-not-planned-enough journey begins. The next time we need to speak slowly in simple English may be to our children. Insh Allah!"

Ed. Congrats and best wishes for the future to Simon and Georgie! Read all about their story in their blog, here on Horizons Unlimited!

Traveller's Community News...

From Bandung, Indonesia, Community

"Kerstin Gackle & Volker Aldinger stay in my house more than 10 days. They have to fix their bikes, we don't have many big store for big bikes part in Bandung but we can make some of the part. They are in Dili right now and will continue across to Australia. That's it from me, hope to see you somewhere on the road. Warm regards, Jeffrey Polnaja (Kang JJ)"

Ed. Thank you, Jeffrey for helping out travellers in Indonesia.

From Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Community

"Just sent Simon Milward on his way last Friday after helping with accommodation, presentation facilities and introductions. Should be in Zanzibar at present. Cheers. Steve Luker"

Ed. Thanks Steve for helping out.

Daniel Toader writes to thank the Vladivostok Community:

"Yea, I think a few more days and I would have achieved resident status in Vladivostok. I was there for 21 days in all, a few days with customs, lots of days waiting for the CDI unit for my KTM to arrive from Germany, etc... Jun Ishibashi is now in Mongolia with a broken subframe on his Suzuki Djebel(due to the Khabarovsk - Chita road), Peter crashed his BMW R100GS on the same road and is recovering from a broken rib in Ulan Bataar. I am now in Khabarovsk and will attempt the road soon. Anyways, Grandy, Shustrik, Sinus, and the rest of the guys in Vladivostok were great. They helped me with everything and then some! A fantastic community. Thanks guys!"

New Communities:

We've got 289 communities in 71 countries as of August 16, 2004!

A big thanks to all those who took the first step and established the Community in their area. New Communities are in Cincinnati, Ohio; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Riverside, California; Boulder, Colorado; USA, Bar, Montenegro; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Durban, South Africa.

If you are on the road, do check out the Communities - don't feel like you're imposing on people! They signed up for a Community because they want to meet travellers - that's you! You'll have a great time, so go to the Communities page and let them know you're coming. Please remember that they are volunteers and offering to help because they're great people - common courtesy helps! When you write, tell them who you are, that you're passing through, and would like to meet them. Let them know if you need anything, and I'm sure they'll help as best they can.

For details on how you can join a Community in your area, or use the Communities to get information and help, or just meet people on the road or at home, go to the Community page. Send me some photos - with captions please - and a little text and you can have a web page about your Community! A few links to web pages about your area would be useful too.

Just a reminder to all, when you Join a Community in your area, send a note to the Community introducing yourself and suggesting a meeting, or go for a ride or something. It's a good way of meeting like-minded individuals in your own town.

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Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers' e-zine
to a friend! Just forward it to them, or send them the link to the newsletter on the website.

In Progress...

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 e-mail me direct. I currently have information on over 100 world travellers listed, but there are many more. See Bernd Tesch's page for more. Bernd lists around 245 long distance travellers. And there's at least 100 currently en route to an around the world. Have YOU done it? Let me know!

Final thoughts...

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!

It is not the unknown, but the fear of it, that prevents us from doing what we want...

All text and photographs are copyright © Grant and Susan Johnson and their respective authors or creators, 1987-2004.
All Rights Reserved.