A Travel Story by Mark and Maggie Allenspach
From Rishikesh we made our way up to Mussorie a hillstation above Derahdun.
Mussorie is a very popular holiday destination for people from Delhi escaping the summer heat.
From there our journey takes us in a north west direction to Shimla a hillstation established by the British.
In Moussourie
In Shimla
We enter Pakistan from Amritsar India on a Sunday, the border is very quiet as there is no traffic in either direction.
Its a different story the day before when we attend the closing of the border ceremony. There are thousand of people on the Indian side and a few dozen on the Pakistani side. Its a huge spectacle with people dancing and shouting.
The official border guard puts on a huge show trying to intimidate each other.
Its definitely something different to experience.
We have arrived at the Iranian border after a cup of tea and well wishes with the last offical in Pakistan.
Our first mistake in Iran, we parked the bike in the wrong spot and are asked to move it 20m. No problem. Our passports are being checked and we are moved on to the next office, where details from the Carnet are being copied into a large ledger.
The road from the border of Iran winds its way around the volcano's to Dogubayazit and Mt. Ararat. Its great to be in Turkey as the food here is much better and we can also have a beer after a long dry spell.
Mt. Ararat
We head south to Lake Van and spend a night in Gevas from where we visit the Island of Akdaman Adosi and its little church build around 1400 years ago.
We leave Turkey via the main Highway into Bulgaria where we spend the first night at the Sakar Hill Camping Ground in Biser just inside the border.
Martin Sherley and Matt welcome us with a cold Beer, Olives and Cheese. We all sit around and have a good chat, exchanging travel stories and getting tips on where to go and what to see. Then a few more Aussies pull up in a camper van and some more members of Martins family and friends join us for a BBQ and a good time.
What a great welcome to Bulgaria.
After spending the last 18 months in Switzerland working in the Alps and riding around Europe its time to start part two of our Round the World Trip. Flying the bike from Frankfurt to Orlando and having all the necessarie paperwork done its time to hit the road. Saturday 7.Mai 2011 Sorry its taken so long to get the blog going, busy travelling :)
Monday 11.7
Along the Alaskan Highway to Whitehorse. The Alaskan Highway through the Yukon is fantastic. The sky is crystal clear today as we cruise past mirrored lakes and snow caped mountains. We find a great camp ground only a short walk outside Whitehorse. After setting up camp we go into town to get some fresh Alaskan Salmon for dinner, yummm.
Tuesday 12.7
Stay another day in Whitehorse, need a break from riding and its also good to check out town.
Wednesday 13.7
Friday 2.9
Decided to use the Tecate crossing rather than the extremely busy Tijuana. Nice drive out hardly any traffic and no cues at the border. Got everything done in no time at all and where of down the No 3 highway to Ensenada. The road is in good shape and we arrive in town about 1 hour after leaving the border. After checking ourselves into a motel we walk into town to have a welcome to Mexico drink, there are many bars lining the street and vendors trying to get you into their shops with the phrase come and buy something you dont need .
Saturday 3.9
Monday 18.9
We make our way to Teotihuacan on the east side of Mexico City, here stands the world 3rd largest Pyramid build by the Mayas. After a climb up the Pyramid of the Moon we make our way to a small village near Tlaxcala for the night.
Tuesday 19.9
Tuesday 25.10
Happy Birthday Maggie.
Early start to get to the border of Honduras. The moment we drive in we get hassled by mouls ( people trying to help you with all the formalities for money)The place looks very hectic so we do decide to get some help. Hand over all the paperwork and wait for 2.5-3 hours, pay a fee here and another one there and we are good to go.
Sunday 13.11
Woke up and its not raining, quick breakfast pack up our gear and head down to the water to organise a boat to take us over to Red Frog Beach about a 15 minute trip. Kerman has joined us today arriving this morning on the ferry from the mainland. Not long into the boat trip the skies are getting darker and by the time we get to the beach its raining again, oh well we can go for a swim anyway. Nick Ivanka and I are taking the ferry at 4pm to get back to the mainland. There is a group of Kids on board that keep us entertained with their games and songs.