Salut!

Looking for someone (maybe 2 people) to join me riding from London-London via N.Africa and the Middle East, leaving mid 2003.

I have *some* experience but not much (my 1st big trip) and I am using a prepped XT600 Tenere 3AJ. I am a PhD student, and will be taking pics / updating a website en-route. There are several stopovers planned, including one at a friendly research station in the Syrian Desert.

The trip is expected to take about 4 months. The person I was going with has been forced to pull out, and the whole trip could be in jeopardy!!

There is already some sponsorship and free equipment available (I am rasing money for an African charity, www.riders.org), and further details can be found here:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000275.html

Please help out - I can't go on my own. If you'd like to meet us on the route, also please be in touch. Any other help along the way (for example in Tunis, Alexandria, Cairo, etc) would also begreat, esp. at borders!

If this sounds like your trip of a lifetime, get in touch at PanMed2003AThotmailDOTcom, or call +44 seven seven 13148532.

Cheers!

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good luck in finding a riding partner. i wouldn't worry too much about not having a travel partner though. there are many many bikers who leave and return home alone, but meet great people en route, or not, depending on circumstances.

my biggest concern would be the fact that you're going to north africa/mid east in the middle of summer. might be a little (very) warm...

consider also possible us/uk 'foreign policy inniatives' in the region, that might wind up the locals a little. i.e. don't have your itinerary set in stone.
cheers
ChrisB

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hi rider
i,m going in mid of summer from france to egypt.i want to go via eastern europe(italy,austria,hungrey,romania ,bulgaria turkey ,syria ,jordain egypt.i did it before ,from egypt to france last year,i know the route well now.
but i can change the route.if its not ok with you.try to contact me then we will see.
and in egypt ,syria ,turkey,greece ,italy i have friends they can take care of us
ok??
my name is omar and i,m from egypt
bye

To Chris:

Thx for your advice and reassurance - it is appreciated. I was following the advice in Sahara Overland about not travelling in the desert alone. I don't like the idea of somehow being incapacitated and therefore being unable to continue.

I also think that in areas of dubious political stability it is always better to travel with an ally. As Karim Hussein found, even having someone to watch the bikes while you shop / queue at borders is really handy. I think there are also advantages in travelling with 2 identical vehicles, from a diagnostic a spares point of view. My ex-travelling partner also had a 3AJ - convenient.

The main reason we were travelling at that time was due to his work commitments - it would be no problem for me to move the dates either way, to be honest. I was also slightly stressing about the Libyan July - not something to mess with, I think!

Thanks again!

To Omar:

Thanks very much - I'd like to speak with you in more detail about your route, as I was planning to travel anti-clockwise (Spain-Maroc-Algerie-Tunisie-Libya-Egypt-Syria-Jordan etc). Could you consider this? I could easily meet with you in France, as my parents live there. Your contacts sound really great! Perhaps you could e-mail me some more information? (Your bike, about you, etc). Perhaps we can do it your way and I can sail back from Tunis or Alexandria (to Genoa / Sicily??)

I'm looking forward to your mail! I can also send you much more detail about my preparations etc...

Merci bien, mon ami!

__________________
=-=-= ON THE EDGE! =-=-=
My XR650L Pan-Med Expedition Site!