Around the World - Life On A Bike

We are Ken & Carol Duval from Brisbane, Australia. In 1983 we met, Ken was the motorcyclist and Carol the traveller. We combined our passions and in 1985 rode around Australia and New Zealand for 9 months on a Honda CX650.

Our travels from England have covered many miles with our 1st port of call to our friends Hans and Monique in Holland, visitors to Aus some 7yrs ago. We made a promise to visit them should we ever be in Europe. A fun time seeing slides of their travels.Our travels from England have covered many miles with our 1st port of call to our friends Hans and Monique in Holland, visitors to Aus some 7yrs ago. We made a promise to visit them should we ever be in Europe. A fun time seeing slides of their travels.Then off to Germany following the Rhine.

Carol's brother Wayne here in Brisbane. Unfortunately, Carol and Ken got to France and blew a valve in the engine about 119km north of Paris. They have been waiting for parts to come from England which were suppose to be there last week. The bike parts from England did not arrive in France as of Monday evening French time. Carol and Ken telephoned us to say they are still stuck north of Paris. They will ring again Tuesday evening to let us know their progress. They told me that once they get the bike fixed they will head to the south of France and over to Tunisia.

Carol Duval's brother, Wayne Roberts here again. Our latest news on the Duval duo is that they now have the parts for the bike and it was being repaired (most likely finished now and they have headed off to the south of France). Ken and Carol were leaving Roye (where they have been stranded) on January 7th for an 8 hour trip to Marseille. From there they are booked on the ferry to Tunis on the 13th but hope to get the one on the 8th if possible. It is a 22 hour trip to Tunis. They plan approx.

We are back on the road again after dropping another exhaust valve about 115 kms north of Paris: 24hour Parts delivery from England took six days extra: Watched New Year on T.V. Wow!!! Presently in Tunis as our Moroccon leg had to be cancelled: Sorry Charlie: Spending a few extra days in Tunisia and Libya before heading to Cairo to catch the finish of the Dakar/Cairo Rally on the 23/1/00. Will be staying at the Camping ground The Motel Salma next to the Wissa Wassef Art Centre at Harrania south of Giza. Hope to meet Glynn & Jo and possibly Charlie there. Love Ken & Carol

Greetings from Cairo, Left Tunis and zigzagged our way south staying at cheap hotels rather than camping due to the cost and erratic weather. Over night ports included Kairouan, Tozeur, Douz and ben Guerdane. Saw plenty of Roman ruins dry salt lakes date palms camels goats sheep . People were very helpful and friendly despite the language barrier. Tunis/Libyan border crossing was O.K. once the Tunisians allowed us to leave..without a visas to Libya. This was done at the border. An exceptional case and not the norm. Libya was a shock with the litter problem, quite unbelievable.

As you know from our previous message our fifth gear has gone on holiday. We are trying to find out the problem without removing the box as there are no facilities in Cairo to execute the repairs. All the remaining gears are functioning OK. When fifth is engaged a rattle/grate sound occurs and the gear does not engage. The oil was changed and no metal was found on the magnetic plug. The bike has been ridden 2000kms in this condition with no apparent ill effects. The gear box has 1993 internals with the kick starter adapted.

News News News.. and it is all good. There is a BMW shop/mechanic in Cairo.. A long and lengthy process to hook up with this chap but suffice to say another traveller not a biker introduced us to him around 10.00pm last night. This morning we have a reconditioned gearbox fitted (with a kick start.....wow)

The news is all good so far. The best being we were able to obtain another gearbox in Cairo so we have our fifth gear back. Headed Sth west along the Oasis road enjoying the sun and the clean air . Great after the choking polution of Cairo. Reached Luxor in three days and played the tourist bit checking out the Valley of the Kings etc. Got ripped off by those ever present Egyptian hustlers. When you think you have a bargain!!!! Ha Ha. There is always someone cheaper. Luxor to Aswan was done under escort..

Firstly many thanks for everyones well wishes and replies to our Emails. Our trail through the remainder of Sudan was not without mishap and we now can verify that Africa has some of the worst roads to travel on in the world. Travelling east to Gedaref was paved and quite ok. Gedaref , we lost an hour in the morning dealing with a security check and another passport stamp. Khartoum office previously advised that no more was required until Gallabat. (They have a rubber stamp and stamp pad so they must use it.) Late departure meant more riding in the heat.

The beer is cold and the weather is hot in Nairobi. The journey south through the Ethiopian Lakes district was great after the dusty rough roads of the north. The potholes and dirty dusty detours made the riding interesting and our Swiss travelling companions in the Pajero kept pace with us to Lake Lagano, the only safe lake to swim. Our cooling splash in the murky waters left us refreshed but with a strange soapy feeling. The next stop at Moyale had us preparing for the Kenyan border crossing.

Leaving Nairobi after a week of R&R we headed to Thompson Falls north of Nakuru. The sole campers at this retreat in the mountains we enjoyed camping on grass and the sight of English style buildings in a well maintained garden. The Ugandan border crossing was uneventful with our visas being purchased on the spot for US$30.00 each. The Carnet allowed the bike in for no cost and procedures were completed in under an hour. Proceeding to Kampala saw a very potholed road road but the scenery more than compensated with the vegetation becoming lush green against a very red soil.

Next stop Botswana and Francistown. A modern town with much development on the horizon. We camped at a Hotel Resort with excellant facilities. Unable to locate tyres again we headed to Maun. We confirmed all previous reports that the Caprivi Strip was out of bounds becaues of border problems with Angola so our trek would take us Sth West along the Kalahari Desert. There was approximately 150kms of rough dirt to cover so the Metzler was employed to cover the next leg to Windhoek in Nambibia where we hoped to get new tyres.

We have gone from East to West since our last message covering some five contries. We enjoyed a couple of days at Zanzibar although we considered facilities were a little over priced compared to the rest of the countries we have been through in Africa. The seafood on the waterfront was tasty and the tour of the spice farms was great. A walk around Stone Town revealed plenty of carving shops with eager salesman bargaining for the best price. We escaped without buying anything.

The long ride to Lusaka was a bumpy affair with a number of Police checks on our papers. A chance encounter on the road with a green mamba broke the monotony. THe tyres on the bike by this time were well past their use by date. However we were having great difficulty in obtaining rubber of sufficient size and quality at a reasonable price. Lusaka could be our answer as we were told their were bike shops there.

Crossing the border into Zimbabwe had its usual hiccups with the officials asking for US$ but unable to provide change. Carol walked to a money exchange but he was of little assistance. We were able to exchange for a little of the local currency to pay our way into the commercialized section of Vic Falls. A pleasant stay with Pres. Mugabe making his presence known when he held talks with the 'rebels' and the farmers about land rights issues. Heading to Bulawayo we arrived on Good Friday. No shops open for bike tyres so we set up camp and headed out to get a little food.

Border crossing was uneventful although Carol had her calculator stolen by one of the money touts hustling at the border. This really p--- -d her off. The road south although listed as tarred was very badly broken up to the point of it being just another dirt road. The surface was red soil and the ensuing rain turn the 'track' into a real mess. We headed to Nkata Bay on Lake Malawi stopping for supplies Mzuzu. The road from Mzuzu to the Bay was very potholed . Road maintenance is not a big priority in Africa.

Joining forces with the Forwoods (Harley Davidson world riders extrordinare) we headed off into the Namibian Deserts. Enroute to Walvis Bay we had a look at a cheetah park come game reserve . The Austrian owner was very informative as we watched four fat cats lazing in the early morning sun. They had just been fed and looked quite fat and taller than we had imagined. The gravel roads in Namibia are generally well maintained and a reasonable speed can be realised as we chased the P.M. sun into Naukluft Park.

Our days in Capetown were blessed with many fine days which complimented our sight seeing. We enjoyed the hospitality of Anton (chairman BMW Club Capetown.) and Gill with a drive through the wine district of Stellenbosch. A cool fine day saw us visit Cape Point, Simon's Town Penguins more wineries, one with a Cheetah farm, Tabletop Mtn, Charlie's Motorcycle Shop - a must for the overlander. Busy, Busy, Busy . After fitting a new front tyre and a little maintenance we headed off to Africa's most Southern point, Cape Agulas.

Crossing into Romania was easy although the money changer tried to take a little too much commission. Carol was on the ball though. Arriving in Bucharest we contact our friends who track us down (big city) and escort us back to their large house. Carols' old school friend Shelley her husband Steve and their two children Charlotte and Joshua are living/working in Romania for a couple of years. We intend to enjoy their hospitality and arrange our visas for Iran Pakistan and India. Thanks guys.