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!