Dear travellers,

Time for an update me thinks. The hands of the clock are flying by, and I’m struggling to grasp the thread that is fast unravelling in the run up to D-day, the departure for our RTW trip.



Shortly after the expose on the planning of our trip, I was consumed by the task of passing my UK motorbike licence. Funnily enough, despite being permitted to ride in England for up to a year on a foreign licence, UK insurance companies are not jumping at the chance to provide indemnity to folks with a Chinese driving licence. Mental. The difference between success and failure was huge, not just in monetary terms, but also the finely laid ground groundwork of our intended departure date.You can read how I got on in an article I posted on my website (click here), and to save me regurgitating the whole diatribe, I’ll remove the suspense by letting you know I passed first time. Everything was proceeding to plan.



Luckily we had already chosen the bike which best fitted our needs for our round the world exploration, which turned out to be a BMW GS Adventure, perfectly suited to the rigours of such a perilous journey, loaded with two passengers and all their worldly possessions. The wait was finally over, and picking up the bike was a happy day indeed, one which you can read all about in this article: (click here)



During this whole episode, we had pleasingly begun to take possession of the equipment for which we had been scouring the internet, since the seed of our RTW trip was planted. All the manner of exotic parcels were arriving in the post, from riding gear and spare parts, to perhaps the most progressive leap that mankind has made in recent times: origami camping bowls. The decline of brick and mortar retail now means you have to order at least three of everything you want online, just to be assured you receive one that fits, all before the nightmare of sending it back make-believe returns departments trading ‘evil’ as their currency.


Boxes piled up outside the front door


The equipment command centre

We are now near completion of our equipment buying, for which I’m thankful, if not just to rest our bank accounts for a short time. Since receiving the bike, we have been testing the kit, which will soon be pitted in a deathmatch against all manner of freaky weather conditions and terrain we can expect to encounter. The recent English heat wave probably didn’t provide an accurate representation of the abject misery awaiting us in some parts of the world, but it sure made for some fine riding.



The equipment alchemy that probably deserves special mention is the first test of our camping machinery. I have a reasonable amount of camping experience to know that if my little princess is not comfortable, we will not be doing much camping, and therefore will not be able afford much actual motorbiking around the world. Boasting four nights of sleeping outdoors in her life, Phoebs is a self confessed ‘Newb’ to the scene, and despite some consternation on my part, I’m pleased to report that our first night camping in my back garden, despite a couple of sore backs, went off without a hitch.



Part of the preparation for our trip involved travelling up to South Wales, where I had booked a place at Simon Paveys’ off road skills school. I hoped a few days slipping and sliding around in the dirt would give me more confidence when we reached the outer reaches civilisation. Luckily we were able to hire out the bikes that in our baptism of fire, two day introduction to off road riding, would be dropped and muddied numerous times. Coming back to my shiny new bike I felt a new sense of belief in my general riding ability, and a smug self-satisfaction that I had used a GS for more than just a trip down to the shops to buy a latte . Read about this glorious weekend in all its pot-holed glory (click here).



Another cog in the round the world expedition wheel invariably involves some sort of route planning, however vague and whimsical it might be. I have tried to shun as much of the responsibility for this as I possibly can, but the gentle enquiries from friends and family, followed by persistence and finally outright pressure to give them some inkling as to where we might be headed finally won out, and I grudgingly took to the maps. This actually turned out to be rather lucky, as my little Garfunkel and travelling companion Phoebe would only have three months visa to play with in Europe. The evil axis of power that is the Schengen zone clearly want to stop these American vagrants stealing our jobs. Henceforth, we decided that Scandinavia and Northern Europe would be our first destination for three months, followed by a tour around the UK and Ireland to top up Phoebs visa, before heading back into Southern Europe to chase that tempting mistress, good weather.

In other news I have had a short introduction to Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance by a patient volunteer, who faced the unenviable task of teaching me how to keep my machine running. Now, I’m no mechanical master, but even I was disappointed by the poor tool selection provided by BMW. It would be nice to have the option of pulling my bike apart, even if I wouldn’t have a clue how to put it back together again. Luckily, I’m all tooled up now, so I can continue my tyre kicking and bolt tightening routine under the guise of doing something more complicated.



On a final note, I am pleased to reveal the first sponsor for our round the world trip. Airhawk have kindly donated seats to maintain some much needed airflow around my nether regions, and despite being tasked with the ultimate challenge, I can happily report that it’s doing a sterling job. If you’d like to see my first foray into the world of video editing with this sponsorship announcement, be gentle, and click here.



Think that’s all for now,

Joel


Other odds and sods


The thread wouldn't be complete without a pasty photo


Some lovely Cornish coastline


Me on the bike


Getting all the nasty check ups before we leave


The Hoe, Plymouth


Pre trip R+R


Me and Mother


Proper job


A trip down Penzance. Luckily we made it out alive


Lands End


Phoebs enjoying the day




The Phoebmeister


St Ives, Cornwall


A ride out in Cornwall with the UKGSer guys and gals


As above


Vintage rally, Cornwall


As above


Legend


Sights on a typical Cornish country run

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