Planning the 17th Section

(5th May 2011 - 30th Sept 2011)

United Kingdom , Ireland , France , Belgium , Germany , Czech Republic , Slovakia , Romania , Moldova , Ukraine , Russia , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Tajikistan , Uzbekistan , Mongolia and Japan.

1/9/10 After two years of border and paperwork free Europe it is back to travelling reality, planning, organising, paperwork, visas and documents. Still it has been a bit of a cushy ride for the last couple of years which we felt we needed after all the shipping and paperwork necessary to get the motorcycle and ourselves around the Pacific Islands.

It will be eight months back home in Australia, the longest period we will have spent in Australia for over 14 years, then we plan to return to the UK, quickly ride across Western Europe to Eastern Europe, the Ukraine, the Stan countries of Central Asia, Russia, Mongolia and finally Japan in the northern summer of 2011. Whilst I have travelled a similar route to this in 2005, albeit in the opposite direction, Kay hasn't been to Central Asia and Mongolia before so this area will be new for her, and for me it will be a re-acquainting of a lovely part of the world.

Our time in Australia will be mostly spent in two areas, family and on a rural block of land we have purchased. We are returning to Australia a bit earlier than we would normally as it is my mother's 80th birthday and Kay's mum's 87th birthday soon after our arrival, and we will be having family celebrations for both. We are staying in Australia longer than we would normally for a number of reasons. Our first and only grandchild, Sam, was born in October last year and it will be great to spend more time with him and his parents. Our youngest son Michael is to be married to his fiancé, Kristy, on the first of May 2011, and our daughter has just bought a house with her "significant other", so there will be plenty to catch up with our growing family. In the past when we have returned to Australia for two months between trips we stayed a week or more with each of our children and mothers but an eight month visit required a place of our own and not wanting to be crammed into suburbia after having the whole world at our disposal we purchased a 64 hectare (153 acre) block of land 100km's to the north of Brisbane, inland, a subtropical eucalypt forest, a very steep valley of totally undeveloped land, no electricity, no buildings, no phone, just grass and trees. Initially we will just be wild camping on the block but hope to establish a rough structure during our eight months in Australia.

We will need to do a bit of planning for the next trip but that can wait until the new year.
Don't forget if you are in the United Kingdom our motorcycle is on display at the Coventry Transport Museum, till the 4th of May 2011, where it can be viewed, just mention our name and it is free entry, well actually it is free entry for anyone, and a truly amazing museum.

You can now move onto the first country of the seventeenth trip if you wish, Start Travelling

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