Horizons Unlimited
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Achievable Dream DVD Series On the Website: (All pages open in new window)Home Page Every newsletter is permanently archived online. Back issues here.
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Welcome to the 80th edition of the e-zine! For the first time this year, there isn't a major natural disaster in the news, so that's good! Weather has warmed up recently, which is always encouraging, and we're into serious planning for this year's HU Travellers Meetings. We have a bumper crop of 14 meetings this year, starting in Australia in just a few weeks (23-26 April). The first northern hemisphere meeting is in Ireland (28-30 May), followed by the big one, UK (24-27 June), which is filling up very fast - over 400 attendees already plus over 40 presenters! July is Europe's month, starting with Germany (1-4 July), Bulgaria (9-11 July), Italy (15-18 July) and the one and only motorcycle orienteering event, the HUMM in the Spanish Pyrenees (27-29 July), which is also filling up very fast! In August we move to the other side of the pond, starting with British Columbia (12-15 August), Northern California (19-22 Aug), Colorado (26-29 Aug) and last but definitely not least, North Carolina (9-12 Sep). Registrations will soon be open for the late meetings in Europe - Portugal (3-5 Sep), Spain (9-12 Sep), and finally Germany (29 Oct - 1 Nov). Does that sound like a busy summer? Grant and Susan will attend as many of the meetings as we can, logistics and budget allowing... But whether we're there or not, these are your events and you make them special, so mark your calendar and sign up now! Don't forget we always need volunteers and presenters - if you've done a trip and have pics to show and stories to tell, HU meetings are a great place to tell them ;-) And there are lots of ways you can contribute even if you're just planning your trip! More details below and on the meeting pages. On the home front, most of 'Gear Up!' has gone to onlining now, so we're very happy about that, and it's shaping up nicely! We still have some whittling to do on the last few chapters to keep the length down to 6+ hours overall. As onlining, authoring and production stages will take 6-8 weeks (from past experience), we're still advising a ship date of early June. So, where are our intrepid travellers this month? Lots of folks just leaving, now that the weather is warming up - fair-weather travellers like me! Those on the road are mostly in the southern hemisphere, but there's always a few cold-weather travellers. We've got great stories from Costa Rica, Bolivia, Spain, Argentina, India, New Zealand, Peru, Alabama, Cambodia, Alaska, Ecuador, Mauritania, Senegal, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mexico, Zanzibar, Brazil, Namibia, Chile and Montana! And Hubert is still in Mongolia! Remember to send us your stories and pics from wherever you are, even if it's just in the next country. This e-zine goes out to folks all over the world, so 'right next door' to you might be a really exotic location to someone from half way around the world! If you're out there having fun, tell us about it! Susan Johnson, Editor
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Too many to list! If you haven't checked out the Links page it's time you did - it's scary long, but it's a fascinating browse. Get your website listed in the LINKS Sectionby listing Horizons Unlimited on YOUR web site, let me know you've done it by mailing me a link to the page, and you may get listed here in the next newsletter and on the Horizons Unlimited web site Links page. To make it easy for you, we even have our logo and link code here! All sites will be considered for listing, but must be a MOTORCYCLE or TRAVEL site, useful or of interest in some way to travellers. We reserve the right to refuse to link back.
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There are many 'Helpful People' listed on the Links page, a huge thanks to all of them. How about you? Or you can join a Community, or start your own!
Do you know of a good shop 'on the road,'...in other words, somewhere there isn't a large number of shops? (Also of course any shop that specializes in travellers equipment and repairs is of interest.) But we're particularly looking for those rare items, good repair shops in South America, Africa and Asia etc. Please post your info in the Repair shops around the world Forum on the HUBB. There are now 100's of shops listed in out - of - the - way places, from Abidjan to Ghana to Peru! Be sure to check out the HUBB 'Repair shops around the world' forum if you need work done! When you meet people on the road, and they haven't heard of this e-zine or the website, we'd appreciate it (and hope they would too!) if you'd get their names and email addresses and send it in to me. Thanks, Grant Request for infoWouldn't YOU like to know all about the border you're approaching - what it should cost, paperwork required, 'tips' needed, and who to talk to, etc.? When you cross ANY border, take some notes, and pass them on to us. Thanks! ShippingThe Shipping page on the site is HUGE! It can be reached directly or from the Shipping link on the Trip Planning page. Travel Advisories:The Foreign Office in London's Travel Advice Unit advises against travel to all sorts of places. Check out the listing before you start! The US State Department regularly issues updated travel advisories, information and/or warnings. Motocare
Motorcycle Therapy, by Jeremy Kroeker From the Canadian Rockies to the Panamanian Jungle, Motorcycle Therapy rumbles with comic adventure as two men, fleeing failed relationships, test the limits of their motorcycles and their friendship. Get it here!
Part 1 - Get Ready! Get the Achievable Dream DVD's NOW and learn how YOU can get on the road!
Part 2 - Gear Up! Get the Achievable Dream DVD's NOW and learn how YOU can get on the road!
Part 3 - On the Road! Get the Achievable Dream DVD's NOW and learn how YOU can get on the road!
Part 4 - Ladies on the Loose ! |
Sheonagh Ravensdale & Pat Thomson, 'Dusty Old Bags', Central America & beyond 2010, in Costa Rica, Honda Falcon NX400s,
Pat goes for a walk - read the T-shirt "'Jesus es el Senor de este Valle' was on a huge billboard as we came down off the Cerro de la Muerte (Hill of Death). This overwhelming faith in the power of the Lord would appear to absolve Costa Ricans of any responsibility for their own actions on the roads. It's the worst driving we've seen yet. The Cerro de la Muerte is over 3000 metres and is so called because of the numbers of people who died of cold and exposure in the old days as they made their way to trade their goods in the capital, San Jose.
Costa Rican Topes ... the first of thousands of horrid speed restrictors in Central America The road is now paved but still very winding and quite narrow, and when we stopped for a snack in a rare safe place, we watched transfixed as a fully-laden bus lumbered up the other side of the double yellow line, past a huge container lorry, towards us. Just behind us was a blind bend... On the other side I picked up a 3-inch nail in my back tyre. Pat had to demolish her panniers to get at the tent poles to prop the bike up so she could get the back wheel out, and find the tyre levers to get the inner tube out, 90 minutes later I was back on the road!
Puncture! My contribution was to make encouraging noises, ward off the mangiest dog I have ever seen from weeing on our piles of luggage and help with the pumping up of the new inner tube with our small hand pump. I warmed up nicely during this exercise. Pat wants to know why I only get punctures over 3000 metres... my last one was on the Peruvian altiplano in 2006." Ed. See Sheonagh and Pat's blog here on Horizons Unlimited for more great stories and pics! Daniel Shell, UK, in Bolivia, Harley-Davidson,"...I made my way slowly up the twisting, slippery roads to the top of the mountain, and then even more slowly descended the other side, where, unbelievably, the rain was falling even harder. It wasn't raindrops that were falling on my head, but bucket loads of ice cold water. The water stung my face, and once again, I cursed myself for not having tried harder to find a visor for my open face helmet, even though I knew in truth that I had searched high and low throughout Central America. Then I remembered, Jacquie's helmet, complete with visor and chin protector was strapped to the back of the bike. I pulled over, and for the first time on the trip, donned a full-face helmet. Excited about the possibility of a dry face, I pulled down the visor and set off. About 100 yards further along the road I pulled over. The visor had steamed up and I couldn't see a thing. On top of that, the visor was tinted, so even when it wasn't steamed up, my view was limited. But the fact was, every time I pulled down that visor, it steamed up in seconds, and I had to try sticking a wet finger of my glove inside to try to wipe away the moisture. When this technique proved to be about as useful as, well, wiping wet glass with wet leather, I tried riding with the visor half way open, which meant that the rainwater was directed straight to my cheeks, and the cold, wet air went straight into my eyes. I soldiered on, alternating between wiggling my wet fingered glove along the inside of my visor, and changing the angle and width of the opening of the visor. The rain continued to fall, my 'waterproof' gloves showed their true colour, rainwater dripped down the back of the helmet, down the gap in the neck of my jacket, to the seat of my pants, where it pooled around my arse, giving me that same feeling that I had in my boots, of flesh soaking in puddles of cold water. I sloshed around like this until I reached the lake that I would have to cross to be able to reach La Paz.
I pulled up to the shore and was waved towards a collection of wooden planks with a motor attached at the far end that was to be my passage across the lake. I gingerly rode Garth down to 'ferry' and onto the planks, and stopped as directed at the end of the boat. After me came a couple of local taxis, and with out further ado, the young man that had waved us onto his boat, started up the motor with a couple of pulls on the starting rope, and we were off. Coming in the other direction we passed another ferry, no more than just a wooden platform with a motor at one end, barely large enough to fit a coach on the planks. From where I was looking, it appeared that the coach was floating along on the water unaided.
A short while later I reached the other side of the lake, and after a not inconsiderable amount of effort, I managed to wiggle the bike round and ride off onto the shore, barely keeping it from falling when the platform lurched back towards the water while I was half on land and half still on the boat." Ed. See more great stories and pics in Daniel's blog here on Horizons Unlimited! Help support the Horizons Unlimited E-zine - visit our sponsors!
Peter and Kay Forwood, Australia, reunited with their Harley Davidson, in sunny Spain,"Spain Vera, or really Garrucha, is just another seaside development that is suffering from a withdrawal of funds, either holiday makers or unit investors, so our accommodation today is in an apartment, almost new, underground parking, with modern facilities including washing machine and dishwasher along with the usual lounge furniture, kitchen and bathroom, overlooking a complex of pools and spas, all for only 35 Euro a night. The couple of hundred apartment complex has less than ten residents even at this price. The owner investors would be having difficulty just covering the apartment costs. This whole region is suffering from too fast growth, shoddy workmanship, and now a lack of maintenance. We walked the grey sand beach, sighting just a couple of permanent residents, retired Dutch, German, settling here either permanently or for the winter.
Graffiti a problem in Spain, here in Benidorm. Pleasant enough ride, past Murcia, inland, barren countryside despite recent rains, onto Alicante, and a Saturday visit to the local H-D dealer, whom we had previously visited over three years ago, on our way to Algeria. Saturday morning here is coffee and croissant morning and there was a small gathering of riders and customers indulging. The economic downturn is severely affecting H-D dealers in this region also. Our next cheap accommodation is at a different seaside location, Benidorm, just north of Alicante, longer established, more high rise, more atmosphere. Again we took the cheapest option, a bed sit apartment, overlooking the beach, 25 Euro a night, in an older block of 20 apartments, comfortable on this colder day." Ed. Horizons Unlimited is proud to host Peter and Kay's complete RTW story and pictures here! Check out their travel tips in the 'On the Road!' DVD, shipping now! Kev and Lorraine Hatchett, UK, RTW, battling the wind in Argentina, BMW R1200GS Adventure,"I have tried to find the wind speed on the internet for the days we travelled the R40 without success. The pictures, although few, do little justice to the power that the wind has over mere motorcyclists. I think we were travelling in wind speeds of over 160KMH at points. Anybody that thinks it is going to be a fun ride along the Ruta Cuarenta should think again, it is anything but fun.
I'd kick it if the wind wasn't going to blow me off my feet. We had read about the fierce wind speeds and the difficulties that they bring, whether you are on a BMW GS or a Suzuki DR 350, but until you are actually in it you cannot appreciate the difficulties it is going to bring. Even without the wind it is not an easy ride, the ripio is (at the moment) extremely bad in places, also you can leave your overnight stop on a very calm wind free morning and soon find yourself struggling to keep the bike upright with absolutely no shelter from the unforgiving wind. We hit some bad days and we were lucky. Listen to the locals and other travellers who have JUST travelled the road (old info is useless info).
We have heard from very few people we have met travelling that have done the R40 with little or no wind, some have, but they are the minority rather than the majority. Do it once, only if you have to, preferably in a 4x4, you guys that do it on bicycles need your bumps feeling! Good on you for trying but you are mental!" Help support the Horizons Unlimited E-zine - visit our sponsors!
Cam Brookes, Australia, in India, Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twinspark,"Finally finding the very helpful Classic Accessories on South Coovam Rd who made up a luggage rack for each bike within a few hours, INR800 each.
Classic Accessories All kinds of motorbike parts and works can be sourced on Audithanar Rd, which is the extension of Police Commissioner road, running south west from near Egmore station). I wish I could explain to the other bikers out there how to get to Classic Accessories because they seem like the only people able to do 'Tinkering'. The best I can do is this: Heading north on Audithanar Rd, take a left at an intersection that looks like this:
Chennai Classic Accessories turnoff Leaving Gaur we headed 5km further south hoping to convince some border guards to let us cross into Bangladesh without the necessary visas. Needless to say, we had little luck. Discussions with the first border man were successful and he gave us permission to go one step further, but we hit a brick wall and turned around. 'We are not friendship country with Bangladesh, we are responsible for you. We cannot let you even ask the Bangladeshi if they will let you. We are responsible for you any problem you have.'
Back road near the border between India and Bangladesh A day later and further up the road I was hopeful that if we wound our way through some back roads and avoided an official border post we would be able to get through. We ran straight into an ominous looking fence right near a border control post and were promptly bundled off to the military check post and given a minor questioning. In India pedestrians don't walk across the road, they run!"
Running pedestrian |
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Motorcycle Therapy, by Jeremy Kroeker From the Canadian Rockies to the Panamanian Jungle, Motorcycle Therapy rumbles with comic adventure as two men, fleeing failed relationships, test the limits of their motorcycles and their friendship. Get it here!
Lois' new adventures in Africa! "Alone. No support vehicles, no fancy GPS and no satellite phone. Leaving from London, finishing in Cape Town - and the small matter of tackling the Sahara, war-torn Angola and the Congo Basin along the way - this feisty independent woman's grand trek through the Dark Continent of Africa is the definitive motorcycling adventure." Get it here! Distant Suns, by Sam Manicom
"Sam Manicom's dynamic third book transports you to Southern Africa, South and Central America in an action-packed three year voyage of discovery... a thought-provoking mix of scrapes and encounters with people which illuminate some moments of true darkness... acute observations on everything from human behaviour, to remote and stunning locations. Distant Suns grabs you, enthrals you and spits you out as a convert to the dream of overlanding these amazing continents." Buy direct from Sam here!
Adventure Motorcycling Handbook, by Chris Scott
Into the Den of the Bear and the Lair of the Dragon on a Motorcycle. Werner, 66, was born in Germany and worked in Canada until his retirement. He has authored a number of books since getting bit by the motorcycle travel bug, including -8 Around the Americas by Motorcycle, For details on his books see here.
The Producers of Mondo Enduro present Terra Circa, Around the World by Motorcycle (6 x 20 minute episodes). Regular readers of this newsletter will remember Terra Circa's adventures around the world, and especially the Zilov Gap. Now's your chance to see it in video. Austin Vince is a very funny guy and the video is hilarious, as he leads his intrepid crew through misadventure after misadventure. "This is adventure motorcycling" says Chris Scott, who wrote the book, so he ought to know! Contact Aimimage for the PAL video or all format DVD. Don't forget to tell them you heard about it on HU, we'll make a bit, and it won't cost you any more. Looking for a travel book for someone special?Go to our Books pages, where we have listed some of the best motorcycle travel books, as well as a number of BMW books, general motorcycle books, and travel guides. There's links to Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, and Amazon Deutschland, so no matter where you are - you can order books at great prices, and we'll make a dollar or a pound or a Euro, which goes a very little way to supporting this e-zine. There's also links to search Amazon sites for all their products, books, CDs etc., and yes, we get a tiny piece of that too. We really appreciate it when you start your book search from our website. Thanks for the support! NOTE: If you buy a book starting with one of our links below, we get a little bit to help support the website!
Book suggestions please!If you have a book or want a book that you think other travellers would be interested in please let me know and I'll put it on the site. Thanks, Grant Help support your favourite website! Here's how!Please be assured that we will NOT under any circumstances, rent, lease, sell, or give out our mailing list, and/or your name and e-mail address, to anyone for whatever purpose. Your privacy is assured, and personally guaranteed. See our complete Privacy Policy here. Grant & Susan Johnson, Editors Please note that you are receiving this newsletter only because you requested it! We are 100% opt - in only. To subscribe or UNsubscribe to this newsletter. If you've had problems receiving the e-zine due to spam filters or insufficient bandwidth, remember you can subscribe to the 'Notice' edition instead of the full HTML version. The Notice edition is a short, straight text message that contains a URL to bring you to the full text on the website. Because the Notice email is so small, it downloads in a flash, and leaves your mailbox uncluttered. Change to the Notice version here. We now have an Reader commentsAll comments and suggestions are carefully read, and where possible will be acted on. Your help will make this a useful service for all travellers. Please use the Bulletin Board for questions and suggestions. If you would like to advertise your product or service in this newsletter or on the website, please contact me. Ad rates are very reasonable. Details at this link. ISSN 1703-1397 Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers' E-zine - Copyright 1999-2010, Horizons Unlimited and Grant and Susan Johnson. All rights reserved. Redistribution - sending it on to friends is allowed, indeed encouraged, but other than the following requirements, only with permission. You may forward copies of the Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers' e-zine by forwarding it yourself by hand. You must forward the issue in its entirety, no fee may be involved. Please suggest they Subscribe! Legal gibberish: (particularly for those in
countries that have more lawyers in one town, just for instance, New York,
not to name any names, than some whole countries, as another example, Japan.
Again, not naming anybody specifically you understand). MotocareMotorcycle Rental, hiring Honda's Transalp for touring Argentina and Chile. Ride across the Andes, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, lakes, deserts, salt pans, waterfalls, beaches, rain forests, glaciers...
Motorcycle Therapy, by Jeremy Kroeker From the Canadian Rockies to the Panamanian Jungle, Motorcycle Therapy rumbles with comic adventure as two men, fleeing failed relationships, test the limits of their motorcycles and their friendship. Get it here!
Part 1 - Get Ready! Get the Achievable Dream DVD's NOW and learn how YOU can get on the road!
Part 2 - Gear Up! Get the Achievable Dream DVD's NOW and learn how YOU can get on the road!
Part 3 - On the Road! Get the Achievable Dream DVD's NOW and learn how YOU can get on the road!
Part 4 - Ladies on the Loose ! |
Why Come to a Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Meeting?You can meet people who don't think you're crazy for wanting to ride your bike to South America or Africa or across Asia, or even around the world! Admit it, all your 'normal' friends and most of your family fear for your sanity! So, this is your opportunity to meet the people who will encourage you in that craziness, share their experiences and advice on how to do it, and maybe you'll meet them again in Mongolia or Timbuktu! Also importantly, the meetings help to make HU more than just a website, but a community of motorcycle travellers - real people, not just e-mail addresses ;-) And last but not least, they make a significant contribution to HU revenue, thus helping us to keep the HUBB and website going! So thanks to everyone who comes! Meetings and Events, 2010. Mark your calendars and sign up now!Australia - 23-26 April, Cooroy, Queensland. Registration open now!
UK - 24-27 June. This is the event of the year for motorcycle travellers - with 50+ presenters, demonstrations in 3 separate rooms over 4 days, and of course, activities like Yoga for Bikers and the Road Kill Cookout that you won't find anywhere else! Numbers are limited to 500, we've got over 400 registrations by mid-March, and we always sell out, so register and pay early to avoid disappointment -we really hate to see grown men cry ;-) Register here! Germany - 1-4 July. Jens Ruprecht is our local host for this event, near Heidelberg. Full details and Register here!
HUMM - 27-29 July. The 4th Annual Horizons Unlimited Mountain Madness (HUMM) event. A two and a half (riding)-day, no GPS, orienteering event in the eastern Pyrenees of Catalunya, Spain and Andorra. Test your map reading and navigation skills, find hidden secrets and enjoy the fabulous riding. This event is presented in partnership with Austin Vince (Terra Circa/Mondo Enduro) and
Susan and I laid out the HUMM on-road course, two up on our ancient R80 G/S, riding the many well-paved, twisty and fantastic tarmac roads in the area for over two weeks, loving every minute. Awesome roads, from first gear slip the clutch hairpins to high speed sweepers, with amazing views, minimal traffic, some roads you'll see one car in 10 minutes or more - and some less than that - roads you dream of...
OFF or ON road, it's the most fun you can have on two wheels ;-) Registration is open now and numbers are strictly limited! Canada West - Nakusp, BC. 12-15 August. (NOTE date changed!) Ekke Kok and Andy Miller are the local organizers for this event. Grant and Susan will be there. Full details and Registration open now! California - 19-22 Aug, the 'Lost Coast' north of San Francisco. Grant will be there, and we hope, Ted Simon, after missing last year due to illness. Full details and Registration open now! Colorado - 26-29 Aug, Silverton. By popular request, and after a lot of negotiating with the venue, we're returning to Silverton! Grant will be there. Full details and Registration open now! North Carolina - 9-12 Sep, Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge is located near the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap and the scenic Cherohala Skyway, two of the best motorcycle destinations in the United States. Full details and Registration open now! Malaga, Spain - 9-12 Sep. Alison Makin is the local organizer for this event. Registration coming soon. Germany (Autumn) - 29 Oct - 1 Nov. Same location as summer event. Registration coming soon. PresentersHow about you? We're all here to learn, and there's LOTS to learn! We want to do more presentations and seminars - but we need volunteers to give them! Any topic you can contribute having to do with motorcycle travel, maintenance, planning etc, lasting 20 minutes or more, would be great. Please contact us here to volunteer. Volunteers and HostsVolunteers for all meetings are needed, just a couple of hours of your time makes it all a lot easier - and fun - for all. You can volunteer a few hours of your time for any meeting here. If you'd like to host an HU Meeting in your area, please see the How To Host a Meeting page for details. See the Meetings page for more details on all events. See you there! Grant and Susan Graham Holden, UK, RTW, in Cambodia, R100GS PD,
"...the scale of this site is amazing along with the quality of carvings and scale of the buildings or what's left of them, it must have been a fantastic discovery all those years ago when most of it was overgrown, as the jungle had claimed it back, now they seem to be removing most of the tree's, and in some ways I really like it as it is, with nature and man made objects entwined!" Simon Gandolfi, Old Man on a Bike, in India, Honda Stunner 125,
Bus crash - Puri "I long to experience fresh territory and mountains. The North East States beckon, Darjeeling, Assam, Sikkim, perhaps Nagaland, then west again to Lucknow and north into Kashmir and Ladakh (if the road is open and snow-free). Kolkata first. Bypassing Chennai takes three hours,then up National Highway 5, dual carriageway and a good surface with the usual crop of crashed trucks, countryside flat, mostly reaped rice paddy.The Honda cruises happily at 80 KPH and I manage 420 kilometers to a reasonable hotel in Vijayawada. Another day on Highway 5 northward across the same flat countryside from Andra Pradesh into Orissa. Orissa is poor. Frighteningly poor. Depressing. The Highway is being widened. Ungraded dirt deviations bypass bridges and culverts under construction with one logjam after another as truck and bus drivers jostle senselessly for non-existence space. The setup on the Stunner is more pain-giving on bad roads than the Cargo I rode through the Americas. The seat angle throws the rider's weight forward onto his hands and I end a ten hour day at Srikakulam with bruised palms and a pain in the butt. The hotel is overpriced at 650 rupees. A dhossa for dinner at a workman's cafe costs 20. I set the kilometer trip to zero this morning. It registers 522, good going for an Oldie in his dotage." Greg Frazier, in Alaska, trying to get to Russia,"I hatched a plan to see if I could budget travel a way around the world, make an adventure out of trying to circle the globe by motorcycle within a reasonable budget. Sleeping and eating cheap was part of the plan. So was using inexpensive motorcycles, good solid runners, but not the well known heavy weight budget busters. ... I kept wondering how to find an inexpensive and reasonable way across the water to Asia. Looking at a map of the world I saw Alaska was very close to Russia if I could get to Nome. ...Nome had been on my personal adventure motorcycle travel screen for nearly a dozen years. Every time I looked at a map of Alaska, my eyes would wander to the far northwest corner of the huge state, and see Nome and the lines representing roads on the map going out of Nome to end in the bush or at small villages. The furthest western point was Teller, an Alaska Native village at the end of the road northwest. I drove to Teller to inquire about hiring a boat or booking some space from there to Russia.
Motorcycle down on the road to Teller, AK The road to Teller included an optional route along the beach, where I learned that when a wave washed a log into the front wheel at the wrong angle the result was 'down, again.' Where was my Roadside Assistance Plan when I needed it, or the camera crew and support team following me in the chase vehicles to pick it up for me? The answer was 'In my color filled expedition dreams.' Once I got to Teller I discovered what I wanted to do could be done, but illegally. Instead, if I chose to wait, it was suggested that I might be able to go to the Native trading days when Natives from Alaska meet Natives from Siberia to trade goods on the Island of Big Diomede. While I was told from there I could likely find space for me and the motorcycle, once I got to mainland Russia I was going to have a rough go of it to find a ground route south or west. Again I would be paying mega dollars for air cargo space and likely neither I nor the motorcycle would be legally in Russia. Another option was to load my motorcycle on a small fishing boat at Teller, go across the sound, then ride the footpath to Wales, and try from there. The end result was to toss in the towel at Teller and head back to Anchorage." Ed. Read more about Greg's 'vision quest' and his many RTW and other trips here on Horizons Unlimited! Simon Buckley, Australia, RTW, in Peru, KLR 650,"The Katuwira Backpackers on Pimentel beach near Chiclayo was an interesting setup. The beach itself was very barren, as was the town, but there were a lineup of little shacks selling lunch and drinks along the beach. Katuwira was just a few meters away from the beach boasting Japanese and English speaking staff. ...the beds in the tipi were straw mattresses, as were the pillows which made for an interesting sleep, but it was nice to spend a day at the beach. I was interested at the setup of the place. It reminded me of an old Greek Island resort, off season. Empty but with a lot of infrastructure.
Katuwira Backpackers
Unusual accommodation It seemed that Bobby (the owner) was trying to recreate some kind of Asian shanty town with buildings on top of each other, each one more dilapidated than the last, all made from bamboo. There were little huts stacked full of broken furniture and rubbish, strange bee hive huts out the back, full of rubbish, an empty nightclub building. It was as though the place was set up to take 100 people, but no one comes anymore. Unusual." Help support the Horizons Unlimited E-zine - visit our sponsors! Frank Butler, PNG, RTW since 2002, in Bolivia, BMW F650 GS Dakar,"After meeting up with Isa and Fernandez we decided to head for Lake Titicaca, over 12,000 feet up in the high Andes, on the border between Peru and Bolivia.
Since then I've crossed the Andes from Peru to Argentina with the Dakar Rally, and moved on to Uruguay- more rain-on the way to Brazil and the Iguacu Falls. ...I have just left Buenos Aires where I picked up new tyres, a chain and sprockets, rebuilt the front shocks and fitted new brake pads..now I am good to go. I will spend a few days here in Mendoza looking around... it's mostly wine country. Then I will cross back into Chile and head for Santiago and start the arrangements to get Beem on a plane or a ship, then we will take a quick whiz down to Patagonia and back up, and catch a flight to Sydney. That's plan number 1... the other is to go stay on a farm in San Rafael and do some work and catch up on the website and other stuff for the PNG project... I will have to wait and see what happens there..." Alisa Clickenger, USA, to South America, in Ecuador, DR650,"...I'd read about the Market in Otovalo, so I decided to go there are check it out. The moto- adventurer said you could find everything there, including shrunken heads. Great! This I gotta see...
So on the way I kept seeing all these signs for bizcocho... this usually signifies a regional specialty, and I stopped to check it out.
Otavalo market - jewelery stall.
Unusual street lights MedjetAssist is an air medical evacuation and consultation membership program and is HIGHLY recommended by us and many others for all travellers. The regular MedjetAssist program is for citizens or residents of the US, Mexico and Canada, and gives hospital of choice protection virtually anywhere in the world and air evacuation as needed. (See below for more on the Foreign National Plan) Click the logo below for US, Mexico and Canada citizens to find out more. (NOTE: It's still in progress for the final HU version, but you can get MedjetAssist now!)
For OTHER nationalities it is currently a little more complicated. There IS a Foreign National Plan, but you can't enrol online. It's a faxable enrolment and subject to underwriting approval. The rates are the same, but transport is restricted to 'back to home country - hospital of choice' rather than 'anywhere in the world - hospital of choice'. We are working on improving that, but at least it IS available! Go here to contact MedjetAssist and inquire about the Foreign National Plan. Be sure to mention Horizons Unlimited. Michael Paull adds his endorsement of MedJet (and he DID use their services - twice!):"...After an additional three days in Beijing, I was deemed stable enough for air evacuation back to the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, WA, in the company of my wife Aillene (who had flown in from Japan), and an air transport trauma nurse provided by the company that I had procured medical evacuation insurance from, MEDJET Assistance - without doubt, the best insurance coverage I have ever purchased in my life. A small plug here - these people were remarkable... If there was ever a better case for '...don't leave home without it.', MEDJET Assistance is at the top of my checklist, no matter where I travel (and I hope to do a LOT more)." Note: Per the Medjet Assistance site: "...a medical transport between Europe and America can run more than $35,000. Middle East and South American flights range from $60,000 to $80,000. Transport from Asia often exceeds $100,000." Sounds like $205.00 for a single is pretty cheap insurance! Miquel Silvestre, Spain, in Mauritania and Senegal,"Senegal, at last. It is like landing on a different planet. Here ends up the desert and starts the malaria disease. But on top of it, it is the end of the hostile feeling. Mauritania was unfriendly but here is the happy and colourful Africa. And there is good beer, sexy women and strong men. The city of San Louis was French, so it is like a old African New Orleans. It's full of life. I hope to be arriving soon to my goal: Dakar.
Saint Louis, Senegal Mauritania is the desert of the movies. That of the sea of gold, That of the kidnappings. That of the lack of gasoline. I ran out of petrol in the worst possible place, the north of Mauritania. I knew that in the direction of Nouakchott there was a service station - the first in 300 km since Morocco. Fortunately a Coca Cola truck appeared and took me to the city."
Road sign - animal crossing David Radford, Canada, in Sudan and Ethiopia, BMW R1200 GS Adventure,"Once we got through the chaos and masses of people at the border, we thought that we'd be able to continue on much as we had in Sudan. Not a chance.
People in Ethiopia The border between Sudan and Ethiopia is one of those 'instant change' borders where it seems the laws of physics change right at that invisible line. The Arabic script and language is replaced by Ge'ez and Amharic, the calendar goes from Gregorian to Ethiopian Coptic, the religion goes from primarily Sunni Muslim to Ethiopian Orthodox, the time goes from the 24 hour clock to a 12 hour one (1 is at 7am and then again at 7pm, except they don't use am or pm), and having a beer is no longer a jailable offence. Everything changes in an instant, but after being on the road for a while they're easy changes- big changes (beer), but 'Nice to know, but how does this really affect me?' kind of things (beer). It took a while, but we learned that it wasn't going to be any of these prosaic, functional, changes (beer) that would most affect us. No, it would be something completely different, something coming from my first sentence... People, masses of people. We'd stopped for a quick p.p. (photo/piss) break in the middle of nowhere, and while I climbed up a hill for a better view, the hills came alive with people. Inside of 5 minutes over 30 people, mostly kids, were at the bikes. It was crazy, but it was to prove normal. We weren't in Sudan anymore and we needed to do a complete reset." Bas, Roel & Steve (Dutch Dangleberries), Netherlands, Americas 2010, XT Yamahas, in Mexico"Next day (12th March) we headed for La Ticla, a place not on our map, but known to surfers. A tiny village at the beach where we could stay in a beach cabana. Next day we did a similar tour to a similar but even better place, La Nexpa. Again we could get a beach cabana and enjoyed the hammocks and most beautiful sunset.
Life's a beach in La Ticla, Mexico
Belinda and Patrick Peck, RTW, in Zanzibar and Ethiopia,"When we last posted we were on our way back to Zanzibar to pick up Miss Adventure II from the ship from Oman. We went directly to the shipping agent in Zanzibar and he didn't know anything about our motorbike coming from Oman and it wasn't on the ship that had just arrived! The agent, Leo Colaca was still not answering his phone or email! After 4 days of pushing we finally found out it was still in Oman and would not get there for another 30 days! We were forced to relax in Zanzibar! It was wonderful, we read, we beachcombed, we swam, we met the locals and other travellers staying at the glorious Echo Beach Hotel. Two days before the bike was due to arrive in Zanzibar we get a message that they cannot release our bike till the agent, Leo Colaca, releases the money that we paid him and no-one can find him!? We wrote to everyone we met in Salalah and Tim Seed, who is a HU member in Muscat and high up in security there, to help us. Tim got to work for us straight away and it turned out that Leo Colaca was an illegal immigrant in the country and had disappeared to India with our money! Great! Tim found out he was due back in the country in 9 days time and told his company that he would not be allowed back until he paid this money. Miraculously the money appeared the next day and we picked up Miss Adventure off the ship the day after! How can we ever thank Tim enough? It's amazing the contacts you can make in the HU community! We were on the next passenger boat to Dar es Salaam with our beloved bike! We met Peter Stanley and Steve Luker, the HU members in Dar and had a ball staying at the Sea Cliff Hotel at a drastically reduced rate as the GM, Kevin was a biker! It's amazing the windows that open because we are friendly bikers and not hairy bikers! The plan now is to continue tomorrow to Yabello and do an oil change. Then to Moyale the next day, crossing into Kenya the day after. The standard advice then is to do just 80km of 'the dreaded road' as practice, stopping the night at a popular campsite, in preparation for the long haul to Marsabit the next day. We have been, off and on, in the company of three groups of travellers in 4X4s, and met one of them in the supermarket this morning. In fact, Caroline has off-loaded some of her luggage ('the library') onto a large ex-military truck carrying a couple of German charity workers that we first met in Luxor (I think). And we are all juggling timetables to maybe traverse 'the road' together, or as together as possible. We'll see." Ken Thomas, UK to Cape Town, in Ethiopia, Yamaha TTR,"in Ethiopia The owner of the campsite in Addis, Wim, is Dutch and knows a Dutch flower-grower with extensive grounds in Koka, about two hours south. 'Anyone who stays here is welcome to stay there for free!' Wim tells us. So as we still had things to do on our departure day and didn't leave until about 3:00pm that was useful. The owner of the farm was away at the time but his manager looked after us very well, with beers and teas all round. We departed for lake Langano the following day.
Campsite at Lake Langano Local fishermen in a little canoe catch a lot of Tilapia here, so we bought a kilo for 50p which went down well. About half an hour from lake to plate!" Ed. Follow the adventure at Ken's blog here on Horizons Unlimited!
Oliver Abrahams, UK, in Brazil, on a Honda XL650 Transalp,"The day finally arrived when I had to put my motorbike in a crate and leave it in a warehouse whilst Brazilian customs decide its fate. The sales manager (Victor) of my Brazilian shipping agents came with me to make sure I found the location and everything ran smoothly. This meant an early start because I had to ride to his office in the centre of Sao Paulo (10 miles) by 8.ooam so I could follow him in his car to the crating company in Santos (50 miles away) by 9.30am. Fortunately Sao Paulo's motorcyclists ride like maniacs so cars generally try to give them a wide berth. Sometimes enough for me to squeeze my bike with hard luggage through. This meant I only had to leave at 6.30am to cover the 10 miles to the office in 1.5 hours! Sao Paulo traffic is bad. We made it though and I'm pleased to say that no one lost a wing mirror or had their car scratched.
I removed the battery, windscreen and wing mirrors and then left them to it. Well, left them to it if you call 'leaving them to it' hovering around, taking photos and intervening if I thought they were doing something that might harm the bike... Generally being a nuisance. Having said that, if I hadn't intervened a couple of times they would have put my bike on its centre-stand. They also would have strapped the bike down (not using the centre
-stand) to the full depression of the suspension. Again a potentially bad thing for a motorbike in transit. For those that are interested Horizons Unlimited give good crating instructions."
Michelle Eisele, Canada, in Mexico, writes to the HU Mexico communities:"Hola, I'm from Canada on my way down into Central America. I'm now in Mazatlan and looking for route suggestions and inexpensive places to stay along the way. I'm thinking of staying along the coast and heading inland on the way back north. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Gracias para su ayuda." Jemma Voisin, UK, in the USA, writes to the HU El Paso Community:"Hi, I'm a solo British female biker doing a road trip eastwards towards New Orleans (keeping south to stay warmer at the moment!). I was just looking to find out about any great routes/must sees you'd recommend or meet up for a cuppa/ride if anyone's about. Cheers Jem" Bjoern Holland, Germany, wrote to the HU La Paz Community,"Wondered if tyres are cheaper in Bolivia than Argentina and the HU community came through with an answer: Tires are cheaper in Bolivia than they are in Argentina. So I'll get a new front when I'm there. Also, a friend of mine just found a 18 inch, 140 rear here in Paraguay for less than 80 Euros."
Mike Rafferty (and daughter Heather), USA, South America, in Peru, BMW R1200 GS 'Sport' and BMW F650 GS,"We're on the coast of Peru now, headed for Bolivia. Best gadget goes to Cardo bluetooth intercom - been truly terrific. Least useful, for us, camping gear. Hotels cheap and safe in Latin America."
2010 Photo Contest is now on!The contest is now an annual event, where you can showcase your best photos, and they can help inspire others to get on the road too. Your photos could also be in the "Achievable Dream" DVD series! The best 13 photos will be used in the calendar, and those photographers will share equally in half the proceeds. Winners will also get a free 2010 calendar, and 1 year Gold Member status on the HUBB. Prizes (two categories)First place NON V-Strom / KLR photo prize is generously donated by Touratech.de, the popular "Trackpicker Qstarz BT-Q 1000 X"! By simply pressing a button you can store your favourite places as waypoints!
Trackpicker Qstarz BT-Q 1000 X First Place KLR or V-Strom photo wins a Progressive Suspension Makeover, approx value US$650, shipped to your door.
The new Progressive Suspension PSi - 465 Series Shock Submit up to 6 photos, in high resolution jpg or tif format. To be a winner, so we can publish the calendar, you must have available at least 2300x1800 pixel or greater files, at a high jpg quality. Either dimension - or both can be larger! Photos must clearly portray Motorcycle Travel. The whole bike doesn't need to be in the picture, but it must be obvious that it's a motorcycle trip. If you are NOT THE PHOTOGRAPHER - please don't submit it! Note: Copyright remains with the photographer, but Horizons Unlimited (HU) requires the right to:
Remember, contest closes September 1, 2010, so get your entry in soon! Anyone can win!
First Prize 2009 Contest: Stefan Cedergren, Sweden; Dades Gorge, Morocco, waiting for the traffic to pass The 2010 calendar is still available! Check it out and get your copy now, for some terrific travel inspiration! The calendars are available through CafePress, and the price is US$24.99 plus postage. The cost to us from CafePress is $14.99, and we split the $10.00 profit with the photographers. Ronnie Borrageiro, South Africa, RTW, in Namibia, BMW 1200 GSA,"...The road surface was for the most part pretty good, and I was able to bomb along at about 80km/h. The bike was handling well, with only the occasional twitch when we lost traction in the areas where there were plenty of loose stones. Then the drifts started appearing. These are little sections where dry river beds cross the road, and they carry thick sand. Most of them were only a few metres wide, and as I reached them, I opened the throttle wide and we literally flew through them without a pause. About 45 kms into the dirt, I came across a much bigger one. It was about 30 metres wide and with a scream into my helmet, I pinned the throttle right back and we hit the sand at about 100 km/h. How we got through to the other side, I will never know!
The Big Fella reared his head as I poured the power on and despite keeping the throttle wide open, the bike went haywire. My legs came off the footrests, but I held on grimly for the few seconds it took to get to the other side. I stopped a few kilometers further on, my heart still beating wildly, and not for the first time today, asked myself, 'What in the name of Heaven and all things good, are you doing here, Borrageiro?' Sure, it was exciting, and definitely gets your heart beating and the adrenaline flowing, but keeping control of over 300 kgs of bike, over such long distances was taking its toll.
You might wonder why I was riding so fast, and the answer is simple! On sand or gravel, speed is your friend. You need to maintain forward momentum to keep your front wheel up out of the sand and gravely bits, and if your bike starts to wobble, by opening the throttle and increasing the power, the bike magically straightens up under you, giving you back the control. That's if you're not leaning too far over. By then, extra power is irrelevant, and you're about to get a face full of gravel anyway. Which reminds me of a photo of a guy lying face down under his bike in the sand, that Jock told me about. The caption under the photo read as follows: 'When wanking with a cheese grater doesn't do it for you!'" Ed. See Ronnie's blog for lots of great pics and stories about his trip. Parental Guidance suggested ;-) Matthias Kuhlmann, Germany... plans to be passing through Damascus, Syria in April on the way to Cape Town Carsten Grimm, New Zealand, writes to the HU Santiago Community:"!Hola HU-Community Santiago! Me llamo Carsten, soy de Nueva Zelandia. I will be in Santiago from Monday 28 March to buy a motorbike! I am looking for a Honda Falcon 400cc or similar. I want to tour all around Latin-America for about a year. I have read all the HUBB posts on buying a bike in Chile, y me gusta mucho! Estoy en Buenos Aires ahora, pero voy a Santiago el domingo por la tarde. If anyone is available to help me look for a bike, or mechanically inspect the bike when I find it, or can help me with paperwork at the Government offices - then that would be awesome! I will buy you a beer or three for sure! Looking forward to meeting some of you." Ed. Jaime Chereau Ossa and Juan La Rivera have responded with lots of info and the offer of a DIY workshop. Thanks guys! Brian and Deya Mendoza Dominguez, Canada/Mexico, Americas north to south,"For years now, many more than you might imagine, I've wanted to get on my bike head off into the sunset, leaving behind all those things that matter; jobs, money, family, friends, familiarity, comfort and security. I've wanted to leave all these things of value for just one thing, perspective. It's not so important what you do as it is what you know and what you become. Life as you've been told, but may not yet realize, occurs in just a moment of time and is gone faster than you might have though possible. I think people call this regret and I'm sure it's a bitter pill to swallow when you've got it. I haven't got it and neither will Deyanira, so the plan we've hatched is fitting and honourable.
Deya in the Arctic on a 'short' trip We've decided to mount our iron horses and head north, north until the sea stops us then west to taste the salty air of the Maritimes and listen intently to the sound of the ocean crashing in from the Atlantic. Once we've had enough or once the cold of winter starts its march across Canada we'll turn to the south and zig zag our way through the mighty USA. After a short while we'll enter Mexico, we'll tour the mother land extensively and end up spending Christmas with Deya's family in Veracruz. From here, after some technical work on my language skills, we'll head south until we're halted by the Darien Gap. Once that's been defeated Colombia will await and a meandering sojourn south, hopefully through the vineyards of Chile, onto Tierra Del Fuego and the southernmost part of South America. The return route will loop up back towards Colombia, onto the Central American stretch with a triumphant return to Mexico which we'll call home for a few more years. This trip should take us about TWO years and a lifetime of experience and new opportunities." Johnnie McGlashen, NZ, writes to the HU San Francisco Community:"Gday, Three New Zealand boys + me will be arriving in LA in late June 2010, looking to buy four bikes, kit them out and ride to Argentina. Sounds simple when I write it like that... The biggest hurdle for us at this stage is a contact in the LA area. Someone who's got a similar passion for adventure riding and can point us in the right direction to buy bikes and where to stay while we find our feet. If you can help, let me know - it'd be a massive bonus to know someone when we arrive. Much appreciated!" Diego Carmona, Colombia, writes to the HU San Francisco Community:"Hello, I'm Diego and I will spend time in San Francisco. I've been traveling all over America for a year, and want to share bike experiences while I'm in town. Greetings." Trevor Wilson, Canada, BMW GS1200, writes to the HU Dublin community:"Hi. My wife and I will be flying our bike to Ireland on July the 8th of this year for the start of a RTW trip and would love to meet with any one interested in giving us some pointers on Ireland. Places to see and things to do. We plan to be in Dublin for a couple of nights then go off and ride the ring of Kerry. We would love to hear some of the local music. Trev" Marcelo Leite, Brazil, writes to the HU Caracas community:"In June we will be entering Roraima in Venezuela for Caracas. What is the best route? Any recommendations? We are 2-up on a BMW GS. Are there restrictions riding 2-up in Caracas? Thanks" Raul Cobelo, Argentina, writes to the HU Lima and Quito Communities (Google translation):"Hello everyone, a pleasure to write. I will be starting my dream ride to Alaska 12 April 2010. My question is whether I can find service for my BMW in southern Peru near the border with Chile coming out to the side of Lake Titicaca. I hope I can meet some of you for a few beers." "Hello, I expect to be in Ecuador around 28 April 2010. I plan to go with a Garmin GPS and am looking for any map type link that has maps to download for free. It's my first visit to Ecuador so I'd love to know the best local places to visit. I hope for a companion along the roads of Ecuador. Un fuerte saludo." Chris and Erin Ratay, USA, write to the HU Madrid Community:"Hola, y buenos dias. My wife and I will be flying to Madrid around June 7 and would like to rent/borrow motorcycles for a couple of days. Do you have any friends that can help us? If you are curious about who we are, our 4-year 163,000km trip is here, and we just finished 2-months in southern Africa. Gracias por su ayuda! Chris & Erin Ratay" Help support the Horizons Unlimited E-zine - visit our sponsors!
Grant says: "The Omega system is simply a must-do for all airheads" (And I have the starter too!) Ian Moor, UK, Wrong Way Round The World, not quite home but spending the winter in Montana, F650GS,"After a trip to Costa Rica to renew my visa I'm now back in Montana where most of the snow has melted and it is getting warmer. As soon as it is warm enough to travel and camp without freezing to death I will be heading off. There are a number of western national parks I want to visit, I would like to get up to Alaska and travel on the Pacific Highway. I'll probably dash south during a warm spell then slowly travel north as the weather improves then journey south again for Mexico and my exit from the USA in September."
Visa crisis over, it's back to risking life and limb in Montana! Ed. Follow Ian's adventures in his blog here on Horizons Unlimited! Support Horizons Unlimited - check out the HU Souk for jumpers / pullovers, mugs, steins, t-shirts, hats and other products with a variety of slogans!
Thanks! Grant and Susan New Communities:We've now reached an amazing 646 Communities in 106 Countries as of March 17, 2010! A big thanks to all those who took the first step and established the Community in their area. New Communities are too many to list! 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. Become a Horizons Unlimited Contributing Member or Gold Member!To help with the cost of creating and distributing the newsletter and running a huge website, which has been a full time job for Grant for ten years, Susan as much as she can, plus a couple of part time assistants, we gratefully accept contributions via PayPal, credit card, and cheque. Members also get additional privileges on the HUBB, such as more PM's, custom avatars, and more photo space.Support this Newsletter by becoming a Contributing Member today, by PayPal, credit card, or cheque.
If you want a t-shirt or other logoed merchandise, go to the Store. All contributions will be acknowledged and gratefully accepted. If you later decide you do want a t-shirt or other member logoed merchandise from the store, let us know and we will arrange access to the Members Private Store. More ways to support your favourite website!How to Link to Horizons Unlimited Also, you can just click on any Amazon link on the site and we'll get a small commission on your purchase of any Amazon merchandise - and it won't cost you any more! Thanks, Grant and Susan |
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I am working on a listing of people who have ridden around the world, as well as what I call 'significant journeys' e.g. the first across Africa. Any information you may have on this topic, please let me know. Preferably e-mail me direct. I currently have information on over 800 world travellers listed, but there are many more. Have YOU done it? Let me know! 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... We'd like to think that Horizons Unlimited; the website, the HUBB, the Communities and this newsletter help to push back the fear through knowledge and connecting with others, and teach all of us about the world and it's wonderful people. See you on the road!
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