Wrinklies Wround the World 2006-2007
Follow this story by emailA Travel Story by Colin and Dee Masters
A Travel Story by Colin and Dee Masters
Welcome to the journal of our Gap Year - at 60 years of age (hence the title). We are travelling on a BMW 1150 GS.Welcome to the journal of our Gap Year - at 60 years of age (hence the title). We are travelling on a BMW 1150 GS.
Some people think we are unique but we think that's a posh term for "slightly nuts."
A little background for you. Colin is a semi-retired clock maker and I am a retired nurse. We live in the west country of England.
What the weather threw at us !Left UK 3rd march and landed in Cherbourg after a good crossing. Within an hour the weather had deteriated to snow showers. We made it to Tours, France and then it started as a blizzard for the whole of the next day.-
We stayed put in the hotel and slept, read and ate for 2 days and it probably did us a world of good to have a complete rest. It had been a hectic build up to the leave.
We went to Pompeii- and it was shut!- and so to Greece and unknown territory.Left Pisa 13/03/06 to Tarquinia which is a medi-evil walled city. Very windy- this is called 'The Montana' and lasts either 1 or 3 days. It was day 2 when we got there. Normally I am not keen on high winds on the back of the Bike but she felt very stable and comfortable.
Colin has been very pleased with the very last 'mod' that he did before leaving UK. That was to fit handle bar muffs. They have been very succesful. I'm OK with the heated jacket and gloves.
Left Thessolonýka 21/3/06 for Alexandroupolý. The 2 hour týme dýfference and seeýng a road sýgn for Yugoslavýa and Bulgarýa brýgs home how far we are away- but ýt does,nt seem very long sýnce we started.
The shops are stýll open at 9pm and the chýldren out wýth theýr parents. There ýs no graffýttý and everywhere ýs clean. Concrete houses of 2 storeys each wýth verandas.
High winds
Who lost the intercom lead
Total eclipse of the sunWe entered turkey on 22 march hav1ng driven past the 50 lorries wa1ting to cross the border. We had to buy vusas for 20 euro and insurance for 17 euro because despite what the RAC and insurance compan1es say - you still need the Green card.
The crossing took 2 hours and the Customs were more 1nterested in the bike ane where we were going than looking for controband.
An amazing country.....Cappodoc1a was a surreal place . The underground c1ty was l1ke Swiss cheese w1th a maize of tunnels interconnecting. Very claustrophobic- as it went down 40 metres. The columns of tuffa that have been formed from the lava rock are amazing with the biggest phallyx symbols in the world. In the early morning there must have been at least 10 hot air balloons over the area. Apparantly it is one of the best places to do this (expensive ).
Roads- what roads!We ended up staying inDiyarbikir for 2 days due to the weather. managed to have a look around but did not walk the city walls , (whých are the second býggest after the Great Wall of China) due to the warnings that you may be robbed.-- Discretion was the better part of valour. There are huge underground shopping malls here.
Petrol cheaper than waterWe waved byebye to Mount Arrarat, the mountain guide who had 14 children ( and had promised his mother to have 20 !) and 3 English lads who were cycling from London to Bejing.
The hip flask was drained and a book swap managed ( very important ).
We changed money to Rials and ,for once in our life were millionaires, as there are 16000 rials to 1GBP.
Colin went into the Iran weather on the Net and was very impressed- as you can get the weather for the actual piece of road you are travelling.
Remember to drive on the right ! (or left, or central )
Came to the desert -- and it rained !. 20th april and Taftan. 100 yards down the road there is one hotel here- the Pakistan tourist.(1.41 GBP !)were glad to see it - it wasa bed and out of the dust storm that was blowing., we were covered in a fine layer of white film.
As we entered there was a film crew there filming some musicians and they advised us not to go our intended route of Lorreli and DG Khan as this was terrorist area but to go through the Bolan pass and Sibi, as it was safer ( but hotter ).
We come to india and they have a heatwave !30th April and exited Pakistan where the crossing was very efficient and on to the Indian border control-( who go to lunch between 1pm and 1.30pm)-- so we had our picnic too--much to everyone's amusement.
We the only europeans there and and very few others crossing either. The bike was scrutenised here and the luggage checked before the Carnet was stamped.
We gained 1/2 hour and are now 4 1/2 hours ahead of UK.
Interviewed by the press !
Heat exhaustion in Delhi Back to Chandrighar on 6th May where we were due to arrange the air freight of the bike and us to Bangkok, Thailand.
We landed in Oz on 13th May and 12 days later the bike was cleared of Customs and Quarantine. We had arranged for an Agent to do all the necessary dealings with them and the total bill came to 615GB , which was money well spent as far as we were concerned.
Colin and Judy's house is absoltely idyllic- set in 6 acres of woodland and is virtually like having your own nature reserve. The kangaroos will come up to the edge of the decking to feed nightly and when you drive down the gravel road to get to the house, you must look out for them on the side. The swimming pool is in the front and at the back is the wide river where you can walk along the shore.
Colin has completed the service on the bike which was a major one. Gaskets, plugs , oil change, brackets and brake pads. The parts cost 151 GBP.
Then we took the bike to the BMW dealer for the day and they replaced the oil seal on the Drive shaft & needle roller bearings on the drive pinion. This cost 145GBP. They let us have a brand new ST 1200 for the day- and that proved to be very fast- could loose your licence very easily, if you were'nt careful! It also made you realise how comfortable the GS is- we are spoilt with our air cushions !
Before leaving Oz we managed a trip to Byron Bay to try to see the whales Drove through Brisbane and on to the Pacific Highway.Sadly the trip in the Zodiac had to be cancelled due to inclement weather !___ would you believe that in Australia__ trust us!
We went up to Hastings Point and to the lighthouse which is the most Easterly point in Oz. The wind was so strong that it blew Colin,s helmet out from behind the windscreen. We did manage to see whales in the distance and were close enough to watch the dolphins playing and rolling in the surf.
We arrived in Lisbon on the 24 July_ not too tired as we had had a break for the weekend. Colin had booked the hotel over the net and managed to get one of a chain that was Muslim and therefore "dry" of alchohol. Thought we had left that behind ! However there were many bars on the corner of the street.
The Customs agent phoned us late on 25th and said that the bike had arrived on Mon 24th but he had forgotten to update the tracking system on the net. We had checked and thought it had not arrived.
Went through the Tarn Gorge in France on 2/ 8/ 06 with tunnels of rock over the road to Vallance. The heighest point here was 1,00 metres. This is wonderful biking country and it is nice to see more bikes on the road and they acknowledge you as you pass. We have only seen one other family from England since we started on this leg -- i think we will forget how to communicate with other people soon !
25 degrees and petrol 1GBP but you really need to fill up when you can.
We left Baju, Hungary on 12 /8 /06 having enjoyed the swimming pool facilities at the hotel and meals, including drinks for 13 GBP.
IT cafes charge by the minute but the total for one hour is 83 pence .
We left Dinant, Belgium om 28 August, having had a few days rest and sightseeing.
It was around here that we had a long nail in the back tyre and were lucky to find a BMW dealer open on a Saturday afternoon with the workshop also open. Nail was removed and the puncture vulcanised for £29. We were very aware that we had no ultraseal in this tyre as we were unable to locate same in Oz when the tyre was changed last.
Hi there folks. Wrinklies are off again on their travels again ,after the jaunt to Australia and back to UK last year on our 1150 GS.
Colin did a full service on return with no major faults found.
It took us a little while to settle to the hum- drum of life at home -- and even longer to get into the art of polite conversation again !
Now off on a much shorter trip for about 6 weeks. Route planned is : France, Spain, North and south Morocco and return a variation of the way out - probably via Alsace and Lorraine.
We left UK on Monday 30 April via Condor ferries who were the one company that we found would give reductions for Senior Citizens ! They were good and secured bike for us.From Weymouth to St Malo and stopped quickly at Guernsey and Jersey.Arrrived 6pm to promptly get lost trying to find the hotel- road closed and diversions in place !
Total miles to Gib was 1675. .
Anyway the trip from Ronda was great: through the mountains with towns and villages dotted on the side of the mountains and all the houses painted in white.
The first view of Gib was fantastic. A sheer rock face and a huge chunk of rock! The other side is full of trees.Just cannot believe that we are here in 8 days of easy travelling.Temperature is 30 degrees. We expected the traffic in La Linea de la Conception to be heavy but that was totally wrong. It was very quiet. Not as bad as a local town in UK.
A busy road in France at noon!
Forts at La Rochelle.
Pyrenees in cloud !
Spanish cafe on side of road.
Tatuine
Just to make sure you stop at police checks!
Unexpected lakes in the Atlas
Herman in his garden
10 May and we had an easy entry to Morocco after the ferry ride which was half an hour and cost 59 GBP.Through the formalities in about an hour with some help from 2 guys who expected a tip and got one!The customs guys picked up that we had been to Iran and Pakistan and called Colin over to quiz him about it.The entry for the locals was very different and they were being taken apart at the seams!
Sun 13 and we were off to Marakesh after having had our boots cleaned for 50p,through the Atlas mountains and what a spectacular ride on deserted roads with tiny villages.They say that traversing the Atlas is one of the motor cycle 'musts ' and we tend to agree with that!
Again we were offered kif and there are pottery places every where trying to sell their wares or crystals of bright red or green. A lorry had lost 2 wheels off the axle near to the top- just avoided going over the edge !
So here we are in Gibralter for 5 days trying to get this elusive tyre.We were there from Sun 20 to Fri 25 May.On Thursday the guy eventually told told us that he was unable to get it from Spain!
From Lemoge it was a leisurely ride to St malo where we got the return ticket to Poole even cheaper than UK prices. First call was , of course , to see Doug ( our son) .
Riding in France and Spain is so easy - very little traffic and the worst thing is trying to find an IT cafe ! All the hotels (and alot of the cafes)- are geared up for wireless- so, if you have a laptop, you are laughing.
I still find that some of the IT cafes will not accept the camera- and that is a pain! or it's me being dense.
Hi there folks - well, Wrinklies are off again on their trusty BMW 1150 GS. This time to meet some friends( Brendon and Tasha) who have already ridden across Canada from Halifax to Vancouver. They are then air freighting to Japan , travelling around there and then boat to Vladivostok. They are then to transit Russia and we hope to meet them somwhere past the Urals ! ----- That's the plan anyway.They are on a BMW 1200-- and 2 up.
Sunday 6 July and we were off ! We had been up at Ripley in Derbyshire at the Horizons Unlimited bike meet. It was an enjoyable 3 days- talking with like minded travellers and they gave us a good send off !
The photo shows us as we are leaving !
The journey to Dover was wet,windy and full of traffic jams. We made the ferry by the skin of our teeth! First stop St Omer in France .
Photos from last blog !
Mon 14 july saw us entering Ukraine!
The castle, first thing in the morning was shrouded in mist after a monuemental thunder storm last night with thunder and lightening directly above us !
Ooops,sorry - forgot to put into the last blog that we had visited the home of gliding at Wasserkruppe, Germany. Colin wanted to visit it as he has done some gliding in the past. (it's his hobby - that's why i forgot! )
photos from previous blog:
first the selection of bikers bikes we met at the first motel:
the infamous motel of 'oohs, aaghs, squeals, groans, creaking bed springs, snores and stilletto heels clacking out on the tiles at 6am ( ? 4 stillettos?!)
21 july and it was a long , hard ride to Sevastopol - the road seemed to go on for ever and it was hot- 35 degrees ( but wait to see what tops that ! ). We passed through one town that had the hot water pipes that heat every building in the whole town. Imagine if that fails in the winter !
The last blog was from Sudak with the temperature at 50 degrees.
card board police motorbike on side of the road.
Tues 29 July and we were off again to Uzehrod.---- a gruelling 361 miles as there was 'no room at the inn' at the hotel we wanted to stay at Mukarevo!
Well, I have decided that the sign of a true traveller is a pocket full of loo paper in place of tissues !!!
This is truely a lovely area - the Austrian tyroll is gentle and so pretty. Alot of the men are wearing lederhosen and the waitresses all wear their national long dress with short puffy sleeves on the blouse.
We have fallen in love with the apple struedel and are in fear of returning as fat little piggies!
Mon 11 Aug and on to Briare, France
A cold start across the plain passing loads of vine growing areas. A good bit of flying by a helicopter who was spraying the crops---- what low flying and looked dangerous !
and saw the tiny tractors made to go up between the vines
Hi there folks - well Wrinklies are off again through and around Turkey. Hope to be away 8 weeks. We left UK on Monday 5 September 2011 on Herman --- our 1150 gs.
Had a great send off by Brendon and tasha who had come to wave bye bye !
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Through the tunnel and stopped off in Arras
Hi there folks-- well Wrinklies are off again - this time through France, Switzerland, Ialy,Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosova,Serbia, Bulgaria, all round Turkey ( ?to georgia) and back through to Izmir in Turkey, Greece and ten follow the sun home ! Probably away about 8 weeks and obviously on Herman , the BMW gs 1150.
We left UK on Monday 5 Sept 2011 and through the tunnel , stopping off in Arras
Hi there folks- well, Wrinklies are off again - this time through France, Switzerland, Italy,Slovenia, Croatia,Montinego, Kosova, Serbia, Bulgaria and all round Turkey ( maybe io Georgia). Exit Turkey at Izmir to Greece and follow the sun home! We reckon to be away about 8 weeks and are, of course , on Herman the 115 GS.
Had a lovely send off by Brendon and Tasha, who came to wave bye bye !
Pictures say more than words ! Just a few photos for you. We are of to Montenegro tomorrow (- Fri 16 Sept)
One of the highlights for Colin yesterday was the lady from the apartment jumping on the back of the bike and riding 3 storeys up to her garage !!!
Hi there again folks - hope you enjoyed the last blog - here's the latest update. It'll be a bit long as we have been without any IT support for days !
First of all -- on the last posting it should have read : ' Colin's day was made by the lady at the Dubrovnic apartment hopping on the bike and riding sidesaddle up 3 floors to the garage ' !!!!! - I left the most important bit out !
Hi there again folks --- well we continue to journey and entered Turkey on Mon 19th Sept .The last part of Bulgaria was really flat and a boring ride, really, with one stop for coffee from a machine at 2 Euro each !!!!! -- boy did she us coming and then I was charged 50 cents to use the squat loo !
Hi ya folks --- Before I start the blog Colin didnt think a lot of the photo that I posted of the Cisterne Bacillicus (the underground water storage area) so here goes for some better ones and of the huge carp that are resident!
Hiya folks well we left Safranbolu on Sun 25 Sept. A rather late start as a German guy on a Yamaha came screaming up the road to see us when he noticed our bike. It was great to talk to another long distance traveller. He was off to Iran and Saudi for the winter! There was a Van cat in residence at this hotel--- they are famous for their one yellow and one blue eyes quite rare and quite expensive !
Here's the photos of Nemrut Dagi -- a height of 7100 feet and we had to climb the last 150 metres - nearly killed us !
Sorry about the 3 entries so quickly -- but we have a faily good IT connection here --- we are at Gaziantep - 60 k from the Syrian border. Onwards tomorrow (Thurs 6 oct ). Cheers, Dee and Colin
Hiya folks ---Well we are up and running again with the Camelbaks after a kind soul read the blog and mailed us to say that we could use Anything that the Turks use to soak their teeth ! So great that people read the blog and come up with a solution--- thanks so much.
We left Trabzon on Fri 30 Sept after 2 days of good R and R little did we realise w hat was in store for us! First off we went to see the Sumela Monastery which is hewn out of the side of the rock. This was up twisty roads and we did not drive up to the second car park (very steep).
Here we are again folks --- last time we had climbed Nemrut Dagi and I felt that we needed a T shirt saying we had done so! The guy in the hotel offered to write it on a white T shirt, if I had one!
Hiya folks, yet again ---- well its all been changed but you will have to wait and see why!!
Last blog was from Alanya where we stayed for 5 days in the end. Weather forecast was for thunder and lightning ---- and we got them from the safety of the hotel! We did manage a few touristy things including a boat trip where 2 young lads leapt into the sea and climbed up rocks (with a rope to help them), they then sped through the tunnels in the mountain to be collected the other side ---- and jumped from this cave into the sea and swam to the boat----
Hiya folks here we are again for the final instalment of the 7 week journey .Last blog we were at Erdine, Turkey and had been forced to change the route home due to the Greek situation. ---- Well, we knew that it wasnt the ideal way to get home at this time of year ---- Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, France and home. ---- But we had to go for it little realising just how hard it would be. Heres a synopsis of the trip -----