Hey hey there! Well, Ed left yesterday after spending the past 4 days down here tinkering with the DRZ. So far the bike is in great shape (for a unicycle). The forks are off and up in the Wirral at the moment. I have just collected my viles of rabipur which in any other place in England would have charged me in the region of £200, but being where I am and the high risk of rabies… I’m provided the medication for free. Additionally, I have recieved my International Driver’s Permit from the RAC last week… everything seems to be spinning (mostly my head). I certainly looking forward to handing in my notice, in fact I was tempted to doing it this week.
Well after doing lots of bits and bobs to my DRZ, it is in fact almost done, the bearings are changed, the handlebars, barkbusters, grips, screen are all fitted, the seat lugs are re-threaded, tyres are changed.. wheels are ready… all I have to do is fit the forks in readiness for the off… and maybe 29 litres of fuel. Oh and… no post is complete without a youtube clip:
The front was indeed (as Ed promised) a lot easier than the rear… 37 punctures give or take in order to replace just the tyre… and he claimed he knew what he was doing.
I am just writing a line or 2 to tell you that last night we booked the ferry (in unison) to cross to Alexandria from Venice on the 23rd … it’s a 4 day cruise and cost us €412.05… woot woot! (i’m sure that we will starve on the ferry).
Also, I’m keen to tell you about the amazing wonders I never cease to amaze myself with. I checked the time this morning at 10:09 (having been up since 7am) to realize I had a 10:10 appointment for my inoculations. Sure enough, I threw on a t-shirt, underwear, a pair of trousers, donned my boots, grabbed, keys, chequebook, my helmet and did an ungodly speed to the doctor’s surgery where to my amazement I was seen. I was only 8 minutes late, and we’re given 10 minutes grace. Not bad going… 4 jabs later and 2 more appointments booked and then I’m ready to go! Scary!
Right, I guess I should mention a few things. We’re leaving for Africa. We will be leaving soon. Scary scary scary.
Oh, and so my carnet application went bad. My bank Lloyds TSB rejected my guarantee, which is ironic since their slogan “for the journey” doesn’t stand up to much since they wont have my back for MY journey…. so I’ll be looking for a different way of doing that.
As for different things going on:
Well I forgot to mention a fair while back. I was stopped outside Hein Gericke in Welling (where I had been buying something or other) where a man was fascinated by my DRZ, he asked if he could take some pictures and put them on the internet. Sure enough, he kept true to his word and hot-linked to my blog. So to Kenjonbro thanks!
Work, seems to be getting very monotonous, I’m very disorientated by the lack of pattern, I’m working earlies and lates and having random days off in the week leaving me clueless as to what day/week/month we’re in. I can’t wait for this to be over.
Alrighty, so err… been a while, I keep meaning to write more and keep you more in the loop but between one thing and another I have been too lazy to do so. So a couple of days ago (Monday 24th May) I sent off my application for my Carnet de Passage; I guess that commits me to actually going to Africa now… scary stuff.
Hi hi!
I’ve been back almost a week and had lots of things to do before I could settle down again. Currently, I’m off work with a stomach bug, which has given me time to do some trip house-keeping. My photos are uploaded and I have edited the footage into a video, currently on YouTube.
I left last Tuesday, and it took me over four hours to get to the windmill, once there, Arthur and I did some chores in order to having some living conditions, such as water supply, dry wood sourcing and battery allocation to certain vehicles. I should point out that my visit to the windmill was also the first time Arthur had been there in 6 months (after his 6 month trip to NZ), so my visit was as more a help than a hindrance.
Day 2 (Wednesday), I had spoken to Noel, and Ed and it worked out that Ed’s dodgy knee was still not in top shape for him to meet us, so, I arranged for Noel to come by the windmill and set off the following day, since we had plenty of things to get about doing there.
Following day, Noel and I rode and met Ed riding onto Abersoch and proceeded to ride a few more days (via the Brecon Beacons) until we ended up back at the windmill. I’d bore you with the details but my wit tank has run dry for now.
This time next week I’ll be out in Wales testing out my gear for Africa (simply because the climates are so similar). The plan is for Ed Noel, (you remember Noel from last year, yes, the guy who took really cool photos). We’ll be riding round the coast line of Wales in some fashion. Good opportunity for photos, testing out equipment, team bonding, and find any snags in the bikes/gear while we’re still on safe territory.
So today, my only day off before the off, I’ve been fitting the racks and testing luggage on the DRZ. This year, I’ve gone for using a PLCE bergen instead of the top box of last year. My thinking behind this, is that instead top box I’ll have more flexible space.. and instead of a Ortlieb dry bag, I will use the bergen (since they’re similar in water resistance) and if all goes wrong, I can just take the bergen on my back and walk the rest to Cape Town.
Anyhow this is what the DRZ is looking like for Wales:
Hey guys, it’s been a while and I’ve been mostly toying around with things I’ve got, my cameras are great but the weather hasn’t been much cop for doing any decent filming.
A couple of weekends ago I went to the Kent County & Game Fair to meet a man named Chris Matthews who makes knives. I think it was Ed who put the seed of an idea that “I really need a decent knife for Africa” and after many nights reading up on knife steel types and tangs and handle materials I decided I must speak to someone who knew enough about the subject to advise me. So Chris was very helpful and consequently helped me make an informed decision. I bought a lovely Enzo Trapper blade (Scandinavian Grind) made of D2 steel with a Micarta handle… sound like a mouthful, yes it is! It also comes with a gorgeous leather sheath, it’s almost too nice to use.
Since then, I’ve been struggling to get in and out of work owing to the Bandit being still parked up in the parking bays at work. I’m commuting on the DRZ to work which is not ideal, however, we must do what we must do. I’ve noticed that the bike at over 5,500rpm gets a bit juddery so in the video below you can see me strip down the bike to clean out the float bowl.
Lastly, I’ve been doing some tutorials on how to use Adobe Premier Pro, for editing my footage and decided to compile a few clips in order for you to see what I’ve been doing with myself.
It’s been a little while since I last wrote on here anything. I have since been busy busy busy working, planning and ordering new toys. So it is now less than 6 months to go until Ed and I set off on our intrepid adventure through Africa, and frankly, we haven’t got our heads round the route we wish to take. Sure, it involves leaving home and also involves getting down to Cape Town… but we’re somewhat confused Israel and Egypt. Since my last post we have revised our route from going through Tunisia and Libya in exchange for doing Greece, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Israel. However, with the tension out there and the bad wrap we’ve heard about having Israeli stamps in our passports we’re somewhat confused what to do.
So other than working, having an absolute nightmare with my Bandit (which for those who aren’t aware is my bike for commuting to and from work), I have been fortunate in managing to acquire some great/killer deals on some equipment for the trip. I have a pair of Diadora Race boots that I cannot wait to show off to you (as soon as I make my first movie), which reminds me, I have also acquired a Panasonic Lumix DMC TS1, and a GoPro HD Helmet Hero, as well as a stunning tent by The North Face (Tadpole 23).
I’m looking forward to filming some footage at some point soon partly to show you the equipment but also to test out the cameras.
Hi there!
The idea of riding calmly down to the Balkans, and back and taking 3 months has been thrown by the wayside for the newer, brighter idea of AFRICA (riding for approximately 6 months down to Cape Town).
Ed and I have been frantically covering all our bases with so many details, visas, routes, equipment, budget, bike upgrades, dry-run schedule dates and much much more that we’re currently blind with all these ideas.
For now, I’ll say I’ve been over 2 months off work with a damaged leg, in which time I’ve managed to get a set of Africa maps, got a phrase book in African dialects, and roughly planning our route.
