Northland Boy on Tour

Let Down by my Ears

2008-11-14T18:45:00.003+13:00

Those who have met me in person know that I am partly deaf. I was born that way, and when you don't know what you're missing, you get along OK. I seemed to cope with it, getting through life more or less fine. I never really felt left out, or overly frustrated by it - although those around me probably did. Getting hearing aids at the age of 20 made a massive difference - I didn't absolutely have to be looking at someone when they spoke to me, although it still helped.

This year I've done some diving - 10 dives now - and people will of course think hey diving's perfect if you're deaf - you can't talk underwater anyway! There is of course some truth in that. And of course you know about issues with equalisation when descend/ascend, and clearing your ears.

But what you don't always know about is the aftereffects of the combination of water and pressure on your ears, and consequently your hearing. That water getting forced in there doesn't really do it any favours, and so after diving you leave your hearing aids out, to let them dry out a bit. Not having your aids in, and having water in there makes you rather deaf - lucky it was good friends on the boat with me. It's easier with voices that you're familiar with. It does make you wary of joining conversations though, as you're not sure if you're missing things, or misinterpreting them.

We did a lot of diving that weekend at the Poor Knights, and it seemed to be too much, too deep, too soon for me. My ears were sore for a couple of days, and I felt a little more deaf than usual. Ronelle put me onto Vosol - a couple of drops in each ear in the evening. That helped a bit, but it's not a cool look sitting around with toilet paper in your ears...Things weren't quite right by the weekend though, so rather than exacerbate the problem, my advisor said I was better to give it a rest. So I'm going to have to wait until this weekend to try again - not too deep this time though.

On a completely different note - There is No Depression in New Zealand. I went out to Sale St Bar last night to catch up with some old university friends. The place was pretty busy, for a Wednesday night. It's a big place, so that means quite a few people there. That place must be absolutely heaving on a Friday night, all the people who want to be seen out for a good time.

Getting cold and wet...and loving it

2008-11-12T18:47:00.003+13:00

My friend Ronelle is back in the country for a very limited time, in transit from South Africa to South America. She is now a qualified dive instructor, and encouraged me to complete the PADI Advanced Open Water course, on a liveaboard trip to the Poor Knights. I had completed the first Open Water course in Thailand earlier this year, but had not been out diving since. This was a good excuse to do some more diving, complete the course, see the highly rated Poor Knights, and most importantly, catch up with Ronelle and Tara.

We drove up on Friday night, slept on the boat in the marina, then headed out on Saturday morning. Hanging around being monkeys seemed to be part of the pre-dive warmup:

A busy weekend followed, with four dives on Saturday, and two more on Sunday. I was only diving in a 5mm wetsuit, and with water temperatures around 15°, I was getting pretty cold and tired, so I sat out the third and last dive on the Sunday. We had some good dives though, doing things like navigation, going deep (26m), night diving (perhaps not my cup of tea), and probably my favourite, the naturalist. Basically for that you just went and looked at the fish, plants and animals. That's more like what diving should be. Unfortunately the weather wasn't suitable for doing a wreck dive on the way home, and indeed the trip back was a bit more interesting, but it was still good on the sheltered side of the islands.

I didn't get home until 11pm on Sunday night, and was pretty well stuffed at work on Monday. No worries though, it was a really good weekend. Special mention to my Dive Master Tara, for looking after me, and getting me home safely. I'm not sure that drinking with your students the night before a deep dive is recommended practice though...

I don't know how much more diving I'll be able to fit in, as I've got lots of other things to do with my weekends, and I don't know where I'd store the gear around my apartment, but I will be going out again this weekend, a bit closer to home, at Goat Island. Hopefully get a feed of scallops too.

And finally, here's something you don't do every day: get your ex girlfriend to help you write an ad for an Internet dating site. Hopefully I don't come across as many odd sorts as she did. We'll see how it works out. With a bit of luck, I'll at least make a few new friends.

Vote Early, Vote Often

2008-11-02T19:14:00.002+13:00

I don't think I've ever managed to be in my home electorate for polling day. I'm always overseas, or in a different part of the country, or something. This year is no exception, although it was a bit easier to cast a special vote this time, by going in to the main electoral office. It was just like voting on polling day really, but without the crowds. Perhaps that's why one third of Americans vote early. I didn't even need to make up an excuse, I just ticked the box on the form. Easy. And now I can go and vote a few more times if the last leaders' debate changes my mind, right?

Other happenings: You may have heard of the "Dangerous Book for Boys" - well my parents have got me a dangerous book of sorts. The "Insight Deluxe World Atlas" - that's right, an atlas weighing 5kg. 1:4.5M maps of the world, along with details on the great touring routes of the world. Dangerous indeed. I have to restrict my reading of it though, I might get too many ideas for spending the next decade on the road.

I think I do need to go overseas again too, just so that I can get my bike services. When I was in Iran, and my bike needed some work, I found a place that sorted it out right there, while I waited. In China, going into a bike shop got me invited to a Christmas party. In Alice Springs, the helpful staff went out of their way to help me out, reshuffling other jobs around, to ensure I could get back on the road in a reasonable timeframe. So surely it can't be that hard to get my mountain bike serviced here in NZ, given that there are 4 bike shops within one kilometre of my house, with another due to open next week. Alas.

My preferred shop, that I walk past every day, had just had their mechanic leave, and so couldn't do any major work required. OK, it happens. So I find another place, and get told that it will be a minimum of two weeks before they can look at it. Hmmm. Oh well, let's book it in then. So I go through a list of what I want done, and they write it down on the job card, and tell me to bring the bike back in a fortnight. Righto. Just under two weeks later I turn up to drop the bike off. Wait, we don't seem to have any record of your booking. Ah finally we find the job card, but we don't seem to have actually scheduled your bike in. The schedule's pretty well chocka, but it looks like we can squeeze it across a few slots. Well that's fine, as long as I get it back before the weekend. Of course sir, we'll call you on Thursday to confirm it.

There was quite a bit of work to be done, so I was expecting a confirmation call if it was going to be an expensive job. No phone call on Thursday, so on Friday I rung them up to confirm it was ready. Yes, we tried contacting you, and left messages. Er, no, no you didn't, as I don't have any missed calls or voicemail messages. Well, the bike is ready anyway.

So I turn up early on Saturday morning, planning on picking up the bike early, so I could go out for a club ride in the afternoon. Wait a second, my bike looks exactly the same...they hadn't even started the job. No note, nothing. Just hadn't done it, even though it was clearly marked as being on the day schedule. WTF?

Not happy. Not happy at all. Especially since there's a reasonable chance that they'll tell me it's going to cost more than $500, and I'll be better off getting a new bike anyway...

The New Twenty-One

2008-10-16T19:15:00.002+13:00

Five years ago today, I turned 25. I admit, I felt a bit down that day, as I felt that life was slipping me by, and that at 25, I hadn't really done much. I was single, only in my second professional job, had only lived in two cities, and had only visited one other country - and only Australia at that. I thought that by that stage in my life I should have seen and done more.

Fast forward five years. Still single, and living back in Auckland again. But I've lived in three different countries now, and I've visited over 30 countries - and more than 20 of them under my own steam. I lived in England and Scotland, I travelled around Europe, I travelled independently around the Middle East, including less-visited countries such as Libya and Syria. I've seen rock art in the Sahara, I've been to the great bazaars of the Middle East, I've walked "that street they call straight" in Damascus, I've been to the scenes of major WWII battles for NZ soldiers - Crete and El Alamein.

The last trip was of course the most challenging, riding a bike across the Eurasian and Australian continents. All worth it, to see the old Silk Roads, and to challenge myself in a completely different way. I've seen parts of the world that not many tourists ever see, and a different side to countries to that normally experienced by visitors. I've seen severe poverty, and I've seen extreme wealth - often in the same country. I also pushed myself further than perhaps I knew I could go.

I've met many people along the way, and, I hope, made a few friends. Things weren't always easy, but if I looked around, there were people to help and support me, and I thank all of them.

So I'm happy with what's happened in the last few years. Does this mean I've done everything I want to? No, of course not. But that's what the next 60 years is for, insh'allah. I'm currently pondering my next major move - trans-America by bike is very appealing, but I like the look of Te Araroa - an off-road walk the length of New Zealand. Not quite complete yet, but getting there. Perhaps a different challenge to the bike. It can wait for a while though.

I went to get a physical check-up today, as required for doing a dive course. The quack seemed to think I'm pretty healthy, no problems there. I blew into the asthma tester, and it went off the scale "Don't think we'll bother doing that one again." I seem to be a couple of kilos heavier than I was when I got off the bike - probably a good thing there, now I'm closer to a healthy weight. Been back at the gym too, the legs are fine, but the arms are so weak!

Summary:The Usual Suspects

2008-09-25T19:07:00.004+12:00

This is a roundup of some of the most common questions that people ask me - no particular order, and many of them have probably been answered elsewhere in my blog. I'll put in what I can think of now, and add to it later.

Why? It was a good way to see the world, to travel at my own pace, at a relatively low cost. It was a great way to experience people and places, seeing more than just the Lonely Planet-approved tourist sites.
Are you mad? I don't think so. But then perhaps I'm not the best judge of that.
But wasn't it hard? The body is an amazing thing, and it can adapt. At first it was tough, riding 100km was a very long day, and I'd sleep for 10 hours minimum, and eat a huge amount. But later on, 100km was just a normal sort of day, and I didn't feel tired after doing it. I could ride for 100km, then just eat and sleep more or less normally.
Or had your perception of normality shifted? Highly likely.
Surely it was hard sometimes though? Yes, at times it was tough, struggling into a headwind, through thick traffic on rough roads, in 40°+, with water supplies looking a very long way away. But that's only one part of it. The good times outweighed the bad by a long way.
Is it easy to get back into normal life? Ask yourself. It takes a while to get back into the swing of things. Life on the bike is so simple, the "real world" is more complicated.
Where did you sleep? Anywhere and everywhere. Hotels, backpackers, camping, sometimes in a tent, sometimes just under the stars. Under bridges, in ditches, abandoned buildings, forests, all sorts. Sometimes I'd go to a restaurant, eat dinner, then sleep on the table afterwards.
How did you cross the water? For some reason this is one that many, many people want to know. I got a ferry from Dover to Calais, a ferry across the Bosphorus in Istanbul, and then it was overland all the way to Singapore. I then caught a plane to Darwin, and another plane from Melbourne to Auckland.
How did you pay for it/How much did it cost? I haven't worked out exactly how much it cost, but it wasn't that much - probably a fair bit less than you spent on your last car (South Africans excluded). I worked as a contractor in the UK for a little while before leaving, and that was fairly lucrative. But it is a cheap way to live, especially in Asia.
Wasn't it dangerous/where were the most dangerous places? Central Asia was probably the roughest area, and it wasn't just me - many others I met had problems there. But overall, no, I never really felt it was dangerous. Perhaps just a slightly elevated risk compared to living a domestic life and dying of boredom I suppose
How far would you go in a day? It varied between 20km and 269km. But I would use 100km as my planning target, and it roughly worked out at that. Roughly 100km/day, 500km/week. It would depend on what was around - some days you might do 80km and find a nice place, other days you might need to do 140km to find a nice place.
Are you going to write a book?/You should write a book. Hmmm. I'll think about it. But probably not.
How did you handle all that time on your own? Wasn't it hard being by yourself for so long? Well, at times that can be difficult to deal with. You miss your family, friends, ex-girlfriends...but I am lucky in that I am comfortable with my own company. I had thought maybe I was a loner, but someone else pointed out that I enjoy being with other people, I just don't feel I always have to be with them.

J'Accuse!

2008-09-18T18:56:00.003+12:00

Just look at that speedo - a picture tells a thousand words. That speedo only goes to sleep mode if it doesn't get used for two weeks - and it's been a long time since I've done any serious riding on my tourer. No riding has also meant I haven't felt like posting anything here, stretching the patience of you, dear reader.

For much has happened, and yet it is mostly of a domestic nature, and not exactly the sort the of thing that compares with riding across continents. I now have a permanent place to live (first time in over 18 months), a job, and the beginnings of a regular life. Perhaps it's hard to understand if you have a regular life, but I've been struggling a bit with doing the routine thing. I'm not saying it's bad, and one part of me is happy about knowing where I'll be sleeping each night, but the feet do get itchy.

Perhaps it's that I now have to fit into a routine that works around others. On the road, your needs are simple, and you can do whatever you please. Feel tired? Stop. Hungry? Eat. Had enough? Look for a place to camp, and stop. Raining? Stay in bed. Work of course means regular hours - it's terribly inconvenient that way. Perhaps part of it is that I have friends in many different parts of the world now, and haven't really established social networks here yet.

But I have made a commitment to staying in one place for at least 12 months, and so I shall. Being on the road is a good thing, and a place I want to be, but there are other times when you're glad to be home, and close to your family. My father has recently been unwell, and it is times like these that you feel distance. Being only two hours drive down the road is a hell of a lot easier than being in the middle of China. Of course, one of the dirty little secrets of the world of the modern traveller is that you are never really more than 48 hours away from home, but that distance can still seem a very, very long way.

Over the last few months, I've met many people who've followed my trip, or heard about it from friends, and there are many questions. Some of them come up often, and I really do need to try and put them together in a summary post - I promise I'll get onto it by the middle of next week.

There hasn't been much touring riding going on over the last few months - it's been mainly mountain biking, and not enough of it. Completely different style, on a light bike, throwing the bike around tight trails, getting covered in mud. Lots of fun, especially on the huge array of trails at Woodhill. I'm going to have to arrange some touring around New Zealand though - all the European cyclists seem to think it's amazing here. Personally I think NZ drivers are too aggressive to make it a fully enjoyable experience, but I'll give it a go over summer - it looks like the rain has finally stopped!

Best of the Best

2008-06-20T21:51:00.001+12:00

I've been in Whangarei for a couple of weeks now, off the bike, and trying to sort out my life. I've been going through the boxes of stuff I left here, somewhat amazed at the amount of stuff I had - although I can see that it will only increase if I get settled somewhere. After being so weight-conscious for so long, it's a bit of a change to own more than one shirt, and to wear (shock) jeans. But I still need to avoid accumulating crap, as I'm still moving around, and I won't settle in one place until I sort out a job. On that front, I have at least made a start - should get something sorted out there in the not too distant future.

I'm still thinking about my time on the road, and missing it, but for now I thought I'd list a few of my personal highlights

Best Country: China. I knew that if I didn't like China, it would severely hamper my overall feeling for this trip. I spent more than twice as much time in China as any other country. Of course, it's so vast, that each province feels like a new country, but still, it was a long time without crossing borders. It was all plain sailing, with at times severe pollution, and delightful cultural practices like coughing up an internal organ each morning, but it was a fantastic, intense, occasionally overwhelming cultural experience.
Best climb: Ala Bel pass in Kyrgyzstan. Climbing up 2000m in one day, up a narrow valley, starting off in lush bush areas, climbing to Alpine pastures with herds of horses, and people living in yurts (felt tents), finally making it over the top very late in the day. Coming down the other side, it opened out to a broad valley, absolute postcard scenery. Honourable mention to the Tuu Ashu pass the following day - 1000m up an open mountainside, through a long tunnel, and down a series of hairpins, racing down a narrow valley.
Friendliest people: Iranians. Sometimes overly so - they are so keen to help you, they will try and help you out when you don't even want or need any help. Don't believe anything you see on the news about Iran. Their government might be mad, but they wouldn't be the only country to have mad leaders, but nice people...<cough>America<cough>
Best country for cycling in: Close one here, could be Laos or Germany. Germany rates highly for its bike paths everywhere, high quality bike gear widely available, beer gardens conveniently located every few kilometres, and great people. You didn't need to explain why you were riding around the world - they just understood. Laos was great for the sealed roads with no traffic, exceptionally friendly children, and for being so laid back. After being constantly hassled to buy things in other countries, there was something refreshing about having to wake up the sleeping staff, to try and round up another beer.
Best town that few tourists see: Plenty of candidates here, but Beihai is the winner. I felt it was somewhere I could happily come back to, and live in for a while. This is the town where I spent Christmas. We stopped just to look at a bike shop, and ended up getting invited to the Christmas party. If you ever do visit Beihai, go to McDonalds on Friday night, to help out with informal English lessons.
Best beer: Belgium, for just about any beer style you could ever want, and more than a few you've never even thought of. Even the hostel I stayed at had a menu of different beer options. China rates a mention for the exceptionally low price, but I can't say too much for the quality.

Maybe I'll add a few lowlights later - or just continue to think positively about the whole experience.

Thanks for the comments people have left - it's nice to know that people enjoyed reading my blog over the last year and a bit, and have supported and encouraged me along the way. Photos of Australia are now sorted out. At some point I'll put some shots into Flick or similar, to make it a bit easier to view them.

This is the end, my Friend

2008-06-04T00:29:00.000+12:00

So it is done. I am home. 29,511km, 471 days, 25 countries, 2 special administrative regions, twice my weight in Snickers bars, too much dodgy Russian vodka and cheap Chinese beer, and I don't know how many punctures when running Chinese tyres. Thankfully no serious crashes along the way, so I have made it pretty much safe and sound. Of course there is a possibility that I am carrying some obscure parasite or bacteria - perhaps a trip to the Travel Doctor is required - but I am feeling remarkably well. Plenty of exercise and fresh air must do the trick.

The last leg wasn't the easiest I've ever done, but it was one of the most beautiful. I was in no real hurry, and so split it up over three days. I started out with an easy leg up to Waiwera, via Auckland's North Shore. On the ferry to Devonport, I met a couple going out for a morning ride. 30 years ago they had travelled extensively, and talked about the problems they had found when they tried to settle down in New Zealand again. I think it must have been much harder then, when fewer people travelled, and it was difficult/expensive to keep in touch with people around the world. That's not to say that things have changed that much though - the front page of Friday's New Zealand Herald had a large article and photo about someone being assaulted by a hedgehog. There's something reassuring about that being seen as the biggest story of the day in New Zealand.

Traffic wasn't too bad along the East Coast Road, at least until Silverdale. Auckland is sometimes under-rated, but it was looking rather spectacular under a cool, clear late autumn sky. You can look out across the Hauraki Gulf, while riding through some of the greenest suburbs I've seen for a long time. No sign of drought here. I did really feel I was back in NZ when I ate my lunch sitting under a pohutakawa tree, beside a long sandy beach. Up and over the hill to Waiwera, where I spent several hours soaking in the hot pools. I went on all the slides and tubes, but it's just not quite so much fun when you're by yourself. No matter though.

Being Queen's Birthday weekend, the road was pretty busy the next day, and slow going up a few tough climbs, with narrow/non-existent shoulders and too many cars. My parents met me at Wellsford, to provide some vehicle support. Pulling in to a nice river-side picnic area, and having picnic baskets full of food presented does take away from my hard man image a bit, I must admit. It did make life pretty easy, which was good since I had two punctures, within 15 km - one in each tyre! Considering I didn't have any external punctures in all of Australia, this was a bit odd, and annoying. South of Wellsford, I turned off towards Mangawhai, and the riding improved dramatically. This is more like it, riding through green fields, with little traffic, on good roads. Much easier going to Mangawhai Heads, my last stop. I stayed at one of the most expensive places I've stayed in, and ate one of the most expensive meals of the trip, but it was all worth it. It was a little bit strange to think about it being my last night on the road, last time to find a hotel, last time to unpack the bags, last time to find food and a beer, last time...but we know that's only for a while.

I had an extended support crew for my last day. My parents met me, and so did Suzie and her sister. Suzie was there the day I left London, so she saw me both start and finish. I was taking it fairly easy, with only around 60 km to cover. Dad joined me for the last leg into town, but we weren't able to go straight home. After starting at a major landmark, the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, I had to finish at another - the Kensington Tavern. Soon after that we were rolling up the driveway, and home, to...I'm not sure...the next stage in my life anyway.

For now it's just a matter of trying to get myself organised, and go through what's left of my gear, and see what I left behind here. I probably won't even want half the stuff I left here, although it was nice to pull on a pair of denim jeans, for the first time in over a year. I'm going to have to get a job sooner or later too, although for now I'm just enjoying taking it easy, and catching up with friends and relatives. And yes, I will get my photos sorted out shortly. Working on dialup at home makes it tough though!

In some ways it's a little difficult to describe my feelings on completing this trip. Perhaps I need to think about it a bit over the next few weeks, to gain a little perspective. I shall post more over the coming weeks, a few summary posts, that sort of thing. For now, I just want to say thanks to all those who've supported me in some way along the road. Those who I met, and in some way enlivened the trip, and those who've been in touch, read the blog, and sent messages of encouragement - it really does mean a lot to me. Thank you.

Haere Mai

2008-05-27T11:09:00.004+12:00

After something like 460 days on the road, I am back in New Zealand. Not quite home, but close enough. I flew in to Auckland yesterday, returning to NZ for the first time since last February. I was met at the airport by my parents, and my older brother Cameron. Being met by family I think did make it a proper homecoming, and I'm happy to be here. I realised over the last few weeks that I was ready to go home, and now I'm happy to be here. Don't ask how long I'll stay, I don't know for sure - but I'll settle down here for a little while. Sooner or later the road will call to me again, but for now, New Zealand is home.

Apart from the cold and rain, I had a nice time over the last few days on the road from Mt Gambier to Melbourne. I hit the Great Ocean Road for some stunning scenery and great riding along the coast. I also got a bit of a boost when Jackson came out to meet me at Port Campbell, along with Jen and Andre. It livened up what would otherwise have been just a quiet night in a nice little coastal town.

As I got closer to Melbourne, the towns changed noticeably. Once I got within a practical weekend home distance from Melbourne, the price and quality of homes went up dramatically. Suddenly everything was "architecturally designed" and prices were "on application" (i.e. too expensive for you). This was also reflected in the eating and drinking establishments. Gone were the schnitzel nights, and suddenly meals were available that didn't come with gravy and chips. Bring in the nice cafes and meals you would be happy to get in Italy instead.

Navigating in to Melbourne didn't prove too difficult, although it did requite four pages in my notebook. I more or less followed this route which followed nice country back roads, and then bike paths as I got closer to Melbourne. Quite a nice way to approach a city along the waterfront. It did get a bit messy with the construction happening around the Docklands area, but I was highly impressed by the interim bike paths put in around the construction area. Other places might have just shoved the cyclists onto the very busy road. And yes, for those doubters, the bike paths were being well used by cyclists.

I stayed with my brother Jackson, in Prahran, a nice suburb with fantastic eating options - although it seems that nearly every suburb in Melbourne has great eating options, the dining out scene in Melbourne really is sensational. Nice location though, and very easy for us to get up to the "G" via train. I ticked off another of the "things to do list" - I went and saw an AFL game at the MCG. Even if you don't understand much about Aussie Rules - and very few non-Australians do - it is a classic Aussie sport, and the MCG is one of the great stadiums of the world.

I flew Air New Zealand, partly because they have a very nice setup in their new planes with on demand movies and TV you can watch the whole time you are on the plane (rather than waiting until after takeoff), and partly because it feels like you get home just that little bit sooner. The crew is usually fairly relaxed - here's a few quotes from cabin announcements made during the flight:

"If your mobile phone does not have a flight mode, it's probably time you bought a new one"

"Any passengers caught smoking will be asked to step outside"

And on arrival to NZ:

(Immediately after landing) "You may now switch on your mobile phone and receive text messages. If you wish to really annoy the person next to you, you can also make calls"

"For those of you who have been away from New Zealand for a long time, you will be pleased to know...that absolutely nothing has changed"

Not the sort of thing you'd expect to hear on a Singapore Airlines flight.

One other minor note - HSBC has promptly repaid the fraudulent debit card transactions. Just under a week after first reporting it, they repaid it. They didn't even ring back to get any more information. My story, and the account history, were pretty solid though. Just have to get my replacement debit card. I've also ordered a replacement debit card through Kiwibank, to replace the one stolen last year, so hopefully I'll get both of those shortly. Until then, I'm living on the credit card...

My bike is still in its box, and I'm not entirely confident that it will all come out OK, but I'll deal with that if it is broken. A couple more days in Auckland, then I'll head north. I'll then try and do some wrap up posts over the next few weeks.

Robbed Again

2008-05-17T16:40:00.004+12:00

Last time there was no physical confrontation. This time there was even less - the crime was happening on the other side of the world. I thought it was about time that I checked my HSBC account, to see if I needed to transfer some more money to my cheque account. Hmmm, that balance looks a bit low...let's see what the transaction listing looks like...WTF? There's twelve transactions over the last 3 days, all in the London area, at Tescos, Sainsburys, House of Fraser, etc. Total value £632. But hang on a minute - I'm here in Australia, and I've still got that card in my pocket. All of those transactions were ones that required the cardholder to be physically present. It's not like someone has used my debit card number online somewhere - someone has created a copy of my card.

The UK now uses the Chip and PIN system, which makes me wonder a bit what's going on. Older systems using only a magnetic stripe could be cloned, as my old university buddy Scott has found out. But the use of a microchip on the card should stop this happening. Did someone somewhere pick up a copy of my magnetic data and PIN, presumably from a tampered terminal I've used somewhere, and then create a cloned card, which was swiped on older terminals in the UK? The other thing is that I'm due to get a new card this month - has someone gotten hold of the new card, and the expiry/start dates overlap? Interestingly, most of the transactions took place at businesses not far from where I used to live in Croydon.

All pretty frustrating, especially when you're trying to sort it out from the other side of the world. I used my UK mobile to call HSBC, hoping that I would have enough credit, and that I wouldn't be on hold too long, and get cut off halfway through. Luckily I got it sorted out, and the account has been stopped, and they'll be sending a new card out to me. That's a bit of a pain, since they normally want you to go to your primary branch to pick it up. My home branch is on Oxford Street, London, so it's a bit impractical. Apparently they're going to send it to the branch, then get the branch to send it to an address I specify.

No word on when I'll get my money back though. They're going to open a disputed transactions ticket, and hopefully things will get sorted out. They'll want to call me though, which will presumably be a middle of the night call (UK/Aus timezone difference thing). I figure that I've got a pretty rock solid case though - two days before the dodgy transactions started, I withdrew money in Adelaide, and I've got passport stamps to prove that I've been in Australia for this time period, so hopefully it will all be sorted out without too much pain.

I made it to Mt Gambier, roughly halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne. The weather was packing up, so I decided to take a day off here, and hole up a bit. Given that I've been trying to sort this stuff out, and that the weather was still poor today, and not least of all that it was a very busy night out in town last night with the Cup Carnival...I decided to take another day off. Looks like strong westerlies for the next few days, so I should be able to get to Melbourne by Thursday.

Hopefully it doesn't stay cold though - I had to wear the full-finger gloves, jacket, skullcap and Buff all day, with that sartorial crime, socks and sandals. I realised that part of my problem is that I've gone too far south - I am now further south than home. I need to head slightly north of east to get home. That's the first time I've had to go north since I started.

Slowly moving back towards normality

2008-05-08T14:55:00.004+12:00

Well sort of - I have just purchased a pair of shoes. I had to go and find socks too. The temperatures have been dropping, and now that I'm in bigger towns, more places frown at the wearing of jandals when going out for the evening. It's a bit strange seeing/feeling my feet encased again. I think maybe my toes were starting to spread out from not being contained in shoes. I came very close to buying bike shoes too, but I've resisted that - I'll just do the sexy socks and sandals look if it gets a bit cold.

From Port Augusta I had an easy three days of riding down to Adelaide. Easy because there were short distances, plenty of places to get food/drink, and no need to carry 5L of water and food supplies. I stopped at a motel in Port Wakefield, run by a guy who grew up in Whangarei only a few blocks away from where I did. He'd been over here a long time though.

I've then had a great few days staying in Adelaide with my Uncle Barry and his wife Liz. A few bottles of red wine, a few pints at the local Gaslight Tavern, and a good time had by all. A half-day tour around the Barossa Valley was nice too, sampling some rather good (and expensive) red wines. The Penfolds RWT is nice, but at something like $140/bottle, perhaps I'll give it a miss. I don't think I could cellar it in the bottom of my panniers anyway.

Something that you don't get a lot of out on the road is a classic roast dinner, sitting around a table with friends and family. So I was pretty happy that while I was in Adelaide, things worked out for a great roast cooked by Baz, with the company of cousins that I have had little contact with over the years. Perhaps I could settle back into domestic life after all then.

From here I've only got around 1,000km to Melbourne, as I'll follow the Great Ocean Road, rather than taking the more direct inland route. After a long time on the road, the end is looking very very near. But it's only the end of one stage, and the start of something else. Whatever that turns out to be.

Oh and one thing I forgot to mention last time - someone asked me if I was an escaped convict or something, they were sure they'd seen my picture in the local newspaper. I thought maybe it was the haircut, as I got it shaved off a few weeks ago, and now it looks like someone who's gotten out of jail or the army recently. But he said no, it's the eyes. Guess I must have gotten my thousand yard stare back again, after those long days on the road.

From Sea to Shining Sea...redux

2008-05-05T09:00:00.004+12:00

I've done it again - I've crossed a continent, this time travelling from Darwin on the northern coast of Australia to Port Augusta, on the southern coast. Nearly four weeks, and a little under 3,000km of riding across some of the most inhospitable country yet. The distances between places have been long - and then the dots on the map were just roadhouses. You could say that I was somewhat relieved to see the sea once more, and enter an area crowded with proper dots on the map.

But I will miss the desert. There is an incredible sense of vastness to it, when you can see empty plains stretching off to the horizon in every direction, with the road the only sign of human influence. The night skies, when you are camped out, with no moon, are of course sublime.

I do have to admit starting the last long leg with somewhat of a hangover. My trip to the Italian club in Coober Pedy, as mentioned last time, turned out rather successfully. Indeed it was probably the best night out that I've had at a 'club' in Australia. When I went in the place was dead, but it slowly filled up with an odd cast of characters - the cop, the dog catcher, the meter-reader, the Greek millionaire, the hard old woman "educating" the twenty year old guy...they were all there. Everyone was very friendly and made me feel more than welcome. They all wanted me to stay until Thursday night, payday, and the biggest night of the week apparently. I was seriously considering it, but when I woke up the wind was blowing from the north. The wind never seems to blow from the north in this country, so I took it as a sign. I practically flew down 180km that day, which was what I needed since I had to make inroads into the 252km to Glendambo. You can enjoy dull scenery when you've got a tailwind. The scenery later picked up some more when I started going through an area of dried up salt lakes.

I didn't see an rockets being fired at Woomera, nor did I come across any unexploded ordinance. Probably just as well. Instead I cranked out the distance to Port Augusta, the crossroads of Australia, and the end of the Stuart Highway. From here it's just three easy days to Adelaide, and another rest.

It's quite a nice town here, with a lovely waterfront area of grass, seating and walking/cycling paths. Yet at 6:00 on Saturday night, it was like the Village of the Damned - completely deserted. Perhaps the alcohol restrictions in place had something to do with that. There weren't many bars in town, but eventually people started showing up. I am seriously considering buying a pair of shoes though, as I'm not quite sure how I managed to get into the Flinders with jandals on. Plus it's getting cold now. Of course, wearing shoes again would be a big step back towards normality. Best not hurry it.

In other news, I've been devoting time to trying to watch and understand Aussie Rules. A typical newspaper here will have 46 pages on AFL, and only a token page or two on other sports, so it's hard to avoid. TV coverage is pretty much wall to wall AFL. The thing is that I'm actually starting to quite like it. The players tend to be taller and leaner than rugby players too, more like my build. Perhaps if I'd grown up here, I would have played it, and/or been one of the 76,000 people at the MCG yesterday for a regular game.

Coober Pedy

2008-04-29T12:38:00.003+12:00

It's been a bit of a tough run the last five days, and my body is feeling very worn out, but I've made it to Coober Pedy, a town of around 3,500 people best known for opal mining. It's a dusty place, with no water or other natural resources, other than the opals. But it's got two supermarkets, and I'm sleeping indoors for the first time in three weeks, since leaving Darwin. I felt I deserved it, after doing over 150km on three of the last five riding days.

I did consider the turnoff towards Uluru, but decided against it. I had looked at organised tours, but they were very expensive (says the man who's used to $0.25 beers in China). But then when I stopped at the Erldunda roadhouse, and saw the major-league hotties who were on the tourbuses, with almost no guys, I did regret the decision...

Otherwise it's been long dull days - particularly coming down from Cadney Homestead to Coober Pedy. Huge open spaces, little or no vegetation, no mountains in the distance, no signs of human habitation apart from the road...it can be mentally tough. Add in tough head/cross winds, and the cold temperatures, it gets physically tough too.

I stopped at Marla on Saturday night - only $5.00 for a patch of grass, a warm shower and a swimming pool. It had a big bar, so I thought I would look into what happens on a big Saturday night. Men were walking around in cowboy boots and hats - it seems there's no rule against wearing your hat indoors - with big belt buckles, and rather suspiciously clean-looking jeans. They were also affecting that cowboy walk - I didn't realise you got that from riding quadbikes as well as horses. So I thought maybe it could get interesting, especially since the sign said the bar was open until "late." As it turned out, "late" meant last orders at 20:40, bar closed at 21:00. Sigh. Back to the tent.

Sight of the day: Around 25km north of Coober Pedy, I saw a car up ahead of me driving slowly along the side of the road. Every time a car passed, it pulled over and stopped. I couldn't work out what was going on, until I got closer. The right front tyre was shredded, but still half-clinging on to the rim, going whap-whap-whap as it kept hitting the car body. Worried about being struck by flying pieces of rubber, I went over to the far side of the road to pass it. The driver didn't seem overly concerned that he was destroying his rim - the big group of kids in the back seat seemed to be enjoying themselves too. It's hard to say how far they had gone like that - the next place was 125km back up the road.

Tomorrow I start my last run down towards the coast - it should take me about four days to get to Port Augusta, all going well. Distances between the next few roadhouses/towns are 252km, 113km and 172km. Long ways with not much to see...and I cross the Woomera Prohibited Area. Right now, I have to go and visit the "Italo-Australian Miners Club" as part of my tour of Australian drinking clubs. I shall inform you of my findings in a later update.

Resting in the Red Centre

2008-04-22T13:53:00.004+12:00

I have made it to Alice Springs, the "closest town to every beach in Australia." Which, when you think about it, means that it's a bloody long way from anywhere. After the huge open expanses of the last few weeks, and most "towns" on the map only being a combined campground/shop/service station, it's quite nice to be in a reasonable-sized place. About 26,000 people, so it's got all the facilities I need.

After the winds eased a bit, and changed direction a little, the riding south of Tennant was pretty good really, and I was getting into the swing of it, and I've started seeing a few more cyclists on the road now too. I camped at Aileron with a group of 12 doing a supported ride from Alice to Darwin. I could only look on with envy at their ultralight carbon bikes, with no luggage. But I'm sure the weight I'm carrying on my bike impressed them.

The levels of roadkill have increased dramatically. There's always a few dead kangaroos around, but recently I've started seeing quite a few dead dingos, and eagles. But whereas there used to be one every few kilometres, now I'm seeing carcasses every 50m or so. Quite a stink coming from some of them too - I usually smell them before I see them.

I don't have a radio anymore, but Lew had one in the van, and had a few comments about the music available here. It seems that if you don't like country, you'd better like western. Every night seemed to be "country night." They also seemed to play very old stuff, and have things like "the latest song from Freddy Fender" - who I am fairly sure has now passed away. Still, I think I'd rather listen to that than Dad's other choices - the TAB racing channel, covering all horse and greyhound racing in Australia and New Zealand, or even better, just fuzzy static.

A strong institution here is the "club" - basically they seem to be drinking clubs, formed so that their members can have cheap beer. They are happy to have visitors, but you need to sign in first. Quite what purpose that achieves I don't know. They are strange places, often a bit sterile, with functional furniture, and open spaces, rather than the nooks and crannies that a pub might have. They all have reasonably priced meals, Pokies and Keno. But there is just something odd about the atmosphere. The Memorial Club in Tennant Creek was very weird. It seemed that no-one was allowed to talk to anyone else, even their friends sitting at the same table. People frowned at us when we spoke to each other. I don't know, if I just wanted cheap beer, I'd probably stay at home. They're smoky places here too, the anti-smoking legislation doesn't seem to have reached the Territory. Wednesday night was a big night though, with "Alfie's Chook Wheel Raffle" which is "fast becoming a real feature of the club." There was great consternation when someone didn't return their card at the end of the raffle. Thankfully it was all sorted out in the end, Alfie was getting quite upset.

I'm staying at the Stuart Caravan Park in Alice Springs, a pretty busy place, with lots of other people around. A few random sorts, people passing through, others trying to get established here - apparently there's a big squeeze on rental properties. One woman I was speaking to had 9 children - not all present - and she could remember the exact weights of each of them, and how many days premature each one was. I would have thought it would be hard enough just remembering all the names.

A special mention to the crew at Ultimate Ride, who got me sorted out with a new rear rim. After 21,000 or so kilometres, the braking surface had worn out, and was starting to flex in a way it shouldn't. It hadn't started cracking, but it was probably not too far away from doing it. So I decided to get it swapped over, while there's a bike shop here. The next one is 1200km away after all. They put aside some other jobs, and prioritised mine. Since the Rohloff hub makes for slightly different spoke lengths, and they didn't have quite the right ones available to make the new rim fit, they took the front rim, and moved it to the rear, and then put the new rim on the front. Two wheel builds, and a servicing of the front hub. Something like 28,500km, and one cone is showing some signs of wear. Considering that I have never done anything to it, I figure that's not bad. It should still last a few thousand more miles, but I'll need to replace it before my next trip, or I may even do it in Adelaide or Melbourne.

On Thursday I'll set off again, for the next leg down to Adelaide. Big distances to cover, at one stage 252km between places. Should be OK with some planning though - will try and post my next report from Coober Pedy, in around 5 days or so.

Entering the Real Outback

2008-04-16T18:48:00.003+12:00

Well, OK, not really, I am staying on the main highway, but still, the land has changed dramatically since about Elliot. Instead of trees and long grass, now it's huge expanses of flat land, with a few trees and scrub struggling through. The views are fantastic really, and it would be great riding - except that flat land means no shelter from the wind, and I'm riding right into the prevailing wind. It's made for very heavy going, and I'm just concentrating on my pedals, turning the cranks, counting down the kilometres on my GPS.

At Banka Banka, they told me that the wind should drop down a bit once I get south of Tennant Creek, where I'm having a rest day now. Looking at the forecasts, it doesn't look like things will get any better for a couple of days, and Tennant isn't really the sort of place you want to hang around in, so I'll be back on the bike tomorrow.

Each day we pick a place to aim for, with a camp ground, and then select distances to stop for breaks during the day. Sometimes there are well placed rest areas, say 40km between roadhouses, but other times there is nothing for 90km or more. The rest areas are getting better though, even having toilets now. We make it to a proper campsite each night, which usually has a bar, restaurant, and ablutions facilities. The campgrounds aren't too full yet, as the season is just kicking off, but there's usually a few people around. The typical NT man is quite reserved though, so you might be better off getting conversation from other tourists.

Speaking to some English tourists the other night, they seemed impressed by what I was doing, and thought I was very understated about it. I guess when it's what you've been doing for a long time, and you meet other cyclists doing similar things, it doesn't seem quite so unreal. But yeah, it's a hell of a trip. Still got some long hot days to do here though - the drop in humidity has made for pleasant enough conditions, with pretty much no chance of rain.

Lew's been providing support vehicle services for the last 10 days, but his last day with me is Thursday, then he needs to push on to Alice Springs, to catch a flight out. I'll take 3-4 more days to reach Alice. I would like to note that the team member average daily beer consumption has increased by at least 84% since his arrival, but I do not think that I can be blamed for it. Perhaps I could compile some graphs showing average daily can consumption before, during, and after his time with me?

Mate, you are ****ing crazy!

2008-04-10T17:58:00.003+12:00

"Too right!" was what I yelled back at the roadworkers, who'd just imparted that piece of wisdom. I was on the Stuart Highway, just outside Adelaide River, just starting the second day of my planned trip down to Melbourne via Adelaide. When you take a look at a map, and see the distances between places, you'll begin to understand that these guys were probably right. Just outside Darwin is Palmerston, and it has around 26,000 people. It's the second-largest town in the Northern Territory. 1500km south is Alice Springs, the third-largest town, with a similar sized population. Oh dear.

But it's OK. Maps are plentiful here, and they are generally pretty accurate. Except when places like Coomalie Creek camping ground are closed for the Wet Season. Emerald Springs roadhouse was also closed - hopefully there won't be too much more of that sort of thing happening, since there aren't too many other options around here.

More importantly though, I've got vehicle support for the next week. My father is driving along in a campervan, meeting me in the middle of the day, and at the end. I would like to point out that I am carrying my gear, but he provides me with cold water, and a cool shady spot to stop. Rest areas can be a long way apart here, and the flies and ants can bug you when you stop. I've taken to wearing a fly net over my face, to stop them bugging me when I'm riding. Lew thinks it makes me look like a beekeeper. I figure that's OK, Sir Ed was a beekeeper.

I'd better not get too used to the support though, it's only for a little bit longer, and then I'm on my own. The grey nomads are starting their run up towards Darwin for the Dry though, so there are plenty of campervans on the road, and I'm sure people will help me if I need it.

I stopped in Darwin for a few days, staying with my Auntie Leonie, and her partner Col. Great place right next to town - and a nicely maintained town it is too, with wide streets, bike paths, and generally pleasant people. All a bit difficult for me to get used to seeing mainly white, English-speaking people though. I even ate a meat pie the other day. Two in fact.

I also went out to Dundee Beach, to see my Uncle Keith, and his wife Lyn. Great hospitality, and some good fishing too - although he assures me that it was a bit of a poor day out fishing. I was just happy to be out fishing - I think I've only done it once in over a year. Some interesting characters out that way too. I'd need to grow a foot-long beard to fit in better. I did try it, but the Iranians told me to cut it off...

So we're now in Katherine, 320km south of Darwin, and still 1200km north of Alice Springs. It's not a bad town, but there's way too many people hanging around the town, apparently with nothing better to do. It's going to be a long haul south - hopefully I'll be able to put up another update from Tennant Creek, in around 5-6 days.

Closer to home now...less than 5,000km in a straight line, according to my GPS.

Bye Bye Asia

2008-03-31T21:18:00.003+13:00

The time has come. After almost one year on the Asian continent, I am about to leave. Tomorrow night, I have booked a flight with Tiger Airways. The flight only cost $70SGD...plus a whole bunch of taxes and other charges. $160SGD miscellaneous taxes and fees, another $30SGD for the bike, and then $5SGD because I'm paying by credit card. And then I still don't get food or a movie. But no matter. Everyone else seemed to cost more. Looking at lastminute.com was suggesting daft things like flying Singapore -> Brisbane -> Cairns -> Darwin, taking 22 hours. Um no I don't think so.

So the bike was getting a clean earlier this morning, in preparation for boxing up. First decent clean in a while - hopefully there won't be any problems entering Australia with it. Just about finished, about to do the last task of dropping the seat down...and it's frozen in place. Not moving. Try dribbling lube down in it, nothing happen. After applying a lot of rotational force to the saddle, the tube doesn't move...but the clamp at the top of the tube starts to move. Not good. Not good at all. So I'm just going to have to leave the post sticking out, and hope that it doesn't make the package too big. I'm getting the cargo guys down the road to box it up for me, will be interesting to see what they do with it, and if I can get it in a taxi tomorrow afternoon...

I've been mucking around in Singapore for too long now, and I'm looking forward to getting back on the road. Jan has referred to the process of moving, and I've been stuck for a while. It will mean a change of company though - Sally is heading back up through Malaysia to Thailand, while I'm going to be joined by my father in Darwin. He's going to be my support crew from Darwin to Alice Springs. It's going to be an interesting way of travelling, with a supporting vehicle - it means I'll have someone to carry cold drinks for me along those long hot dull stretches I'll be facing.

Since I haven't done much riding recently, Sally and I set out for a ride around Singapore yesterday, heading down to East Coast Park, then riding around past Changi - with an A380 coming in directly overhead - up to Changi Beach Park, and back around into town. It was quite a surprise to see just how many people were out enjoying the parks, and how well maintained all the facilities were. Many family groups were out having a picnic, with tents set up, and balls being thrown around. It was a bit strange seeing all the cargo ships just offshore, but it didn't seem to stop people going in the water. Guess it was cleaner than it looked. Something I thought was really well done was having clearly marked bike paths between the different parks - so you could put together a loop, going around the different parks. Good to see a different side of the city.

Another side of the city was the Night Safari. Now all zoos are animal prisons, and I'm not usually that keen on them, but this is really good. I'd heard good things about it before, and had been meaning to go, but never got around to it. It was very well put together, with nice enclosures allowing you to get pretty close to the animals. Perhaps too close in the case of the bats flying around my head. Watching/hearing a lion roar, reasonably close by, was pretty cool. I'd recommend it to anyone else passing through Singapore.

I'd heard that Little India gets busy on a Sunday, but I didn't realise just how busy - it seemed that every Indian adult male in Singapore had been bussed in to Little India, mainly just to hang around. Very strange to see almost no women or children. Wonder where they all were?

Of course, some shopping had to be done too - so I bought a new Garmin Vista HCx GPS, to replace the one that was stolen back in July. I've just transferred some free GPS maps of Australia to it - yes there's only one road to follow, but it will still be interesting to see just how far to the next town.

Right, time to go and see what the Indian crew have done to my bike, and then maybe a celebratory drink down at the flashy Quays area.

Still looking for that Penang Curry

2008-03-23T23:49:00.002+13:00

After completing the dive course, and having a few more days lazing about on Ko Tao, we finally got moving again, getting a boat to Chumphon, and an overnight train through to Butterworth, Malaysia, where we could get a ferry to Penang Island. I'm back here to search for the Penang Curry that eluded me the last time I was here.

It was good to be back on mainland Thailand, in a town that's not really aimed at tourists. Rather than every restaurant having the same menu of banana pancakes and mango shakes, it was good to be wandering around the night market, eating local foods, aimed squarely at the locals - the odd tourist was just a bit of bonus income.

Upon arrival at the station, an old lady saw Sally's bicycle, and promptly came over with her bike, presenting the two flat tyres to me. Ah - no problem, I'll pump them up. And of course the favour was returned - we could then leave the bike and our luggage at her shop at the station for the few hours that we had to kill before our train arrived.

The train was a sleeper, much more comfortable than a bus. Early the next morning we crossed over the border into Malaysia. They had a rather amusing sign there, detailing how to identify someone with hippy characteristics. What made it especially amusing was that right behind us in the line was a hippy couple, who matched pretty much every characteristic. Dreadlocks, waistcoats (with nothing underneath or on top of it), sandals, poor condition silk pants...it was like looking at a hippy stereotype, beamed in from the 60s. Good thing we were leaving Thailand I guess, although they don't seem to worry too much about that anymore.

So it's back to Penang for a couple of days, before doing an all day train down to Singapore. I'm going to make a concerted effort tonight to track down a Penang curry - but I'm sure that I'll be able to get one outside Malaysia, should I desire one.

Prices were looking a bit high for a flight to Darwin...do I have an excuse to stay in Asia a bit longer?

Adventures Off the Bike, and Underwater

2008-03-17T19:55:00.002+13:00

Just a quick note - the beach is calling - but have to tell you that I have now completed my PADI Open Water course! I came back up to Koh Tao by plane from Singapore, and signed up for the Open Water course with Easy Divers. My cycling friend Sally also joined me.

A couple of mornings of classroom sessions, two confined water dives, and four open water dives later, and we're done! Took a while equalising my ears, but once I got that sorted, it was pretty cool looking at the huge amounts of tropical fish in the water here. Rays, Moray Eels, Barracuda, Nemo, etc. Plus every shape of coral you could imagine.

That done, we'll have a few more days on the beach, and then I'll think about getting back on the bike again.

In further good news, I passed my CCNP/CCDP recertification exam. Not sure what it says more about - me or the exams - but I managed to get back into the swing of it fairly quickly, after a year of doing this other nonsense instead. Perhaps there is hope yet of me being employable in future.

No Camera Crew, No Ambassador, No Tears

2008-03-10T21:33:00.003+13:00

Nothing at all like this. No little stage at Sentosa, with people bearing gifts and cakes. None of that for me. I am definitely sacking my PR outfit, and employing someone new.

Instead all I got was in trouble with the beach patrol at Sentosa, for taking my bike across the rope bridge leading to the southernmost point of the Asian continent. I had ignored the "no bicycles" sign, and the megaphone telling me to leave my bike behind. I got across, got the photo, and then meekly went back across with the lifeguard. He did say he could take me to their office, and give me a cup of tea while he explained all their safety rules to me, but we both agreed that might be a waste of time. So he let me go. Just as well. I could have gotten 10 lashes of the cane, or something like that.

Because I am now in Singapore! After 388 days, and 24988km, I have made it to Singapore. Yes, I know, you're thinking "why didn't he go for a victory lap around Singapore, to make it 25,000km?" I thought about it, but decided that the next few km can wait. I'll do them soon enough - Australia should be at least another 4,000km.

So now I've got a little while off the bike. I'm going to head back to Thailand, do a dive course there, and muck about for a few days, before heading across to Darwin, to do the last leg down through Australia.

After KL, I headed down to Melaka with Jan. Melaka was nice, and could be worth staying a few days, but I was keen to get the riding out of the way. Special mention to the Discovery Cafe in Melaka, where we stopped a couple of nights. The Carlsberg reps were on site, and they insisted on giving me and Jan free beer, constantly topping up my glass. Made trying to study a touch difficult.

From there it was a couple of days further down to Johor Bahru, the border town. A bit of a suspect place. Lots of people were drinking at street restaurants, which made me wonder if it was a duty-free town. But not to be...it's just even more expensive to drink in Singapore. I think I'll have to boycott alcohol. That'll teach 'em.

The elections were interesting in Malaysia - flags and bunting everywhere, and I was given "Barisan Nasional" flags to carry on the bike. They didn't do as well as they would have liked, but luckily the streets were quiet the day after. People were just going about their business, cleaning up the old posters. No trouble. I'm sure the Foreign Office would have had me stay inside that day, barricading my hotel door, but I wasn't having any of that.

Overall Malaysia wasn't that great a place to ride in - a few interesting things, but far too much traffic around, and with the level of development, it's getting a bit anonymous. Not quite the Asian place I expected. Perhaps it all comes down to the high price of beer? Maybe I need to go back to Langkawi where it's duty-free, do some comparative analysis?

No More Durian Please

2008-03-04T16:54:00.004+13:00

Well, it did have to be done. We had to try Durian, so beloved of Malaysians. A large prickly fruit, it emits a rather strong odour, and has flesh of not particularly pleasant consistency. The strong smell puts you off, but we decided to purchase one from a roadside stall, and see if the rumours were true. I was carrying it on my bike, so I got gentle wafts of it for several hours. Luckily our hotel in Bidor didn't ban durian, as many do, but still we decided to eat it outside.

After Jan worked out how to cut into it, we had a bit each, looked at each other, looked at the size of the fruit left...and agreed we had had enough. It wasn't that bad - it's not going to make you throw up - but it just wasn't that great either. To be polite, I guess you could describe it as an "acquired" taste. Plenty of people enjoy it, if the number of durian stalls is any guide, but I don't think I'll invest the time and energy into acquiring the taste.

I'm now in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia. It's not a bad city, but it's all a bit too developed and Western for me (i.e. too expensive). Or maybe it's just that I'm just another Westerner here, and I'm not special anymore. Plenty of marble and glass in the shopping malls, and anything you want is for sale. I'm certainly not complaining about the English language bookstores. One of the largest Borders bookstores in the world - and they're not the only one around, Kinokuniya has a great selection of tech books. I'm trying to decide if I should renew my Cisco CCNP certification. I need to sit an exam for it by March 22nd. Looks like I can get study materials here, and I could sit the exam in Singapore. I will look a bit of a dork sitting on a Thai beach with a Cisco book though. Ah well, no real change there.

There's not a huge number of tourist places here as such, but there's still something to do other than shopping. I think. Ah yes you could go and look at these:

And I've also been out to the Eye on Malaysia, a 60m high ferris wheel. I was going to be able to tick off the "largest portable observation wheel in South-East Asia," but the Singaporeans has just opened a massive one - the Singapore Flyer. Might have to go on that when I get there. 6 months in London and I never went on the London Eye. Oh well.

I could race down to Singapore now, and be there by the end of the week, but like Jan, as I get closer to the end of Asia, I find myself slowing down, and in no real hurry to finish it. Somewhat the opposite of what you might expect. Will probably be even worse by the time I get to NZ, that last leg from Auckland to Whangarei might take a week.

Playing Catchup

2008-02-28T01:51:00.002+13:00

The last time I saw Jan was way back in June, in Bukhara, Uzbekistan. We took different paths then, and when we later got back on the same road, Jan was a month ahead of me. As he nears the end of his mission, he's been slowing down, while I've been speeding up, thanks to judicious use of ferries. As a result, I've finally caught up, and we've spent the last couple of days riding together. Just like old times. Except it's not snowing now. But we are in a Muslim country again.

After Satun, in southern Thailand, Nicola, Dave (her husband) and I got a ferry to Langkawi, Malaysia, where we saw some of the Langkawi Ironman. Dave was riding around on a classic local commuter, which looked rather amusing amongst the titanium-frame, carbon fibre forks, ultra lightweight racing machines the competitors were using. Langkawi didn't do much for me, and the duty-free prices were a ripoff. Most prices were more expensive than elsewhere in the region. The only cheap thing was beer - 1.50RM for a can, compared to 6RM elsewhere in Malaysia.

From Langkawi we went to Penang for a dose of Somerset Maugham/colonialism/Lord Jim/whatever, along with fantastic food, and some rather annoying ladyboys. Dave had to fly out of there, but we picked up Jan, so it's almost a fair swap. Well for me anyway, Nicola might have other opinions. Leaving Penang on the ferry was easy - and free, since they only charge people going in the other direction. Score.

We've then been riding towards Kuala Lumpur, and I have to say I'm not hugely impressed with cycling in Malaysia, compared to Thailand. The road is too busy, too many trucks. Most shocking of all, the service stations don't have shaded tables and chairs to sit at. Outrageous that, since all Thai service stations have somewhere to sit down out of the sun. But there's still some interesting things to see and do, like Kellie's Castle and getting our photo taken with the first rubber tree in Malaysia. Well I thought it was interesting.

From here I'll head to Kuala Lumpur, and then it will be a bit of mucking around in Malaysia, possibly a bit of diving, before marking off Asia, and heading to Darwin. Probably 3-4 weeks before I get there. No hurry, eh?

First Anniversary

2008-02-22T16:37:00.002+13:00

February 17th marked one year on the road since leaving London on that glorious late winter morning. One year, 24,000km, two passports, seven chains, six sets of tyres, three saddles, four pairs of shorts, I don't know how many punctures, and somewhere approaching twice my bodyweight in Snickers bars. This was what I looked like back then, all my gear nice and shiny, bags still waterproof, way too much luggage, and not much of a clue. Fitness was only so-so, and I was nice and pasty white from an English winter. At that point I still hadn't really worked out how I was going to cross France. although I thought I knew what my route across Central Asia would be.

And this is what I look like now. Third from the right, in case you couldn't work it out. Tanned, fit, carrying far less gear than when I started - but still too much. Surprisingly my bodyweight hasn't really changed much, only a few kg down. Around about 78-79kg now, I was only a little over 80 when I started. But what has changed? Well, I'm a bit older, and better at reading maps I suppose. I don't worry too much about exactly where I'm going to end up each day, as I've found that things always seem to work out OK.

I still don't plan too far ahead - I have a rough idea of where I'm going, but I don't worry too much about the specifics. Just look at the event horizon - worry about the most immediate concerns, if you think too far ahead it all just seems too much. I've had a lot of time to think, but that doesn't make mean I'm any wiser. Maybe I have sorted out a few things in my head, but it doesn't mean I'm any sort of new age guru, so don't bother asking for advice. I'll leave that sort of thing for Jan "Mystic" Slatter. All I'll say is don't be afraid of change, accept things, it makes life much easier.

How hard was it? Harder or easier than I thought it would be? Not really sure. At times it was damn hard, especially on long hot dull days in the desert, when you're trying to eat up the miles. It's easy to kill time, but only riding kills distance. Or so Al Humphreys says, and he would know. It's tough when you're sick, and lying in a scummy hotel room, hoping to get better, so you can get back on the road, and feel the wind in your hair again.

But then at other times it's all too easy. People are by and large friendly and helpful, and when you're on a bike, people tend to feel sorry for you, and want to help you, give you directions, food, water, vodka, a bed. You'll be stuck in some town trying to communicate with someone who doesn't speak your language and getting nowhere - and so they go running off and find the one person in town who does speak your language, or at least another one that you know. How many people in English-speaking countries would go to the effort of trying to find a Chinese speaker? How many people in small-town New Zealand would even speak Hungarian?

I have met many interesting people on this trip, some of them in the real world, others I only know via email. You have all brightened my life in some way, and for that I thank you. Messages from friends and family do make a difference, when you're feeling a long way from home, and the support means a lot to me. Sometimes it's easy for me to get wrapped up in this, and forget that everyone out there has their own challenges and difficulties too. I might not always find the time to send messages to people, but trust me, you are in my thoughts frequently.

I'm about to cross into Malaysia, and from there head to Singapore, and the last big leg, Australia. I should make it to NZ in three months or so, insh'allah. Will that be the end? I'm not sure. Perhaps it will be, or maybe it will just be a break, before heading off to do something else. Or will I settle down and do the house/dog/white picket fence thing? We'll see.

You know tourists aren't common...

2008-02-13T19:37:00.002+13:00

When a bunch of tattooed teenagers wearing "Iron Maiden" T-shirts accost you in a public toilet...and want to get their photo taken with you. To be clear though, all parties were fully dressed at the time, and no-one was taking part in any toilet business. They all wanted to shake hands too, luckily I had observed them just washing their hands.

I'm in Nakhon Si Thammarat, a nice, non-touristy town in southern Thailand. We're stopping here for a rest day, partly to see some of the touristy things, but partly just to have some kick-back time. With the "Thai Hotel" providing nice twin rooms with satellite TV with English channels, and extras like a wall-mounted bottle opener in the bathroom, all at a good price, I'm happy to just relax. Especially with a huge Carrefour nearby providing all the essentials.

Getting a ferry from Ko Tao to Surat Thani proved a bit trickier than expected. Rather than a direct boat, we had to get two tickets, the first to Ko Samui (another island), and the next from Ko Samui to Surat Thani. Problem was that the piers on Ko Samui were 20km apart, resulting in an unplanned ride in the middle of the day. The ferry companies did provide vans between the piers, but that didn't help us much. However things turned out well, as the ferry companies go from Ko Samui to Don Sak, then bus passengers to Surat Thani - but just getting off at Don Sak worked out better for us to come down the east coast.

We had two nights of staying at resorts where we were the only guests - one resort set in the bush, another brand new one by the beach. It's a bit weird when you're well outnumbered by staff all watching you eat your meal, ready to run across and top up your glass every time you have a mouthful.

My biking shorts are in tatters after being worn every riding day for over six months, and had to get some emergency repairs. Dave is bringing replacements over, from NZO, but the current ones were in danger of falling off. I didn't think the locals needed to look at my underpants any more, so I found a nice old man to stitch them up - classic Singer treadle table sewing machine, all original stuff. Cheap too, and now they should be able to make it a few more days until Dave gets here.

From here we're heading over to the west coast, to head south into Malaysia. That should avoid the current troublespots in southeastern Thailand.

Travels with my Sister

2008-02-04T17:48:00.000+13:00

Just a short blog entry today, to let you know I'm still alive and well. Nicola joined me at Bangkok airport, and after a few days taking part in the Khao San circus, we moved on south. Traffic in Bangkok is considerate, but heavy, so I thought it better for us to get a train, rather than Nic having to deal with it all first up. Turned out to take all day on the train - I could have ridden to Phetchaburi in 5 hours. But no matter.

After looking at the monkeys in Phetchaburi - and again later in Prachuap Khiri Khan - we headed south. The roads are smooth, the shoulder is wide, and there are great services stops every 10km. Just a bit too much traffic, but it could be a lot worse. We went down via various beach places, with the highlight being Bang Saphan. Archetypal beach bungalows and bars, almost no-one there. Fantastic. The riding highlight was when Nicola rode over a 5 foot snake, gave a big scream, and rode off faster than I thought possible. The snake was already dead, but she wasn't looking back to see that. I was just too busy laughing.

We then came over to Ko Tao, an island with great diving all around. In a weird moment, I met a Swiss girl whom I last met in Uzbekistan in June, at Bahodir's in Samarkand. We looked at each other for a minute, then both said "Aren't you...?" Small world. We had a great day today on a boat cruise around the island, stopping off at various points to go snorkelling. The first stop had a bunch of reef sharks swimming around. Pretty cool. Good thing that none of them were too big though.

We'll probably head back to the mainland tomorrow, and keep meandering down south, to meet Dave, Nic's husband, for more riding down into Malaysia. I should get organised and upload some photos, but...I think I'll head back to the beach bar now.